Chrono Trigger
Footsteps! Follow; A brief history of the war between the "apes" and the" reptites" are expounded upon. Our protagonists meet the reptite leader…
The cave was noticeably cooler. They could not tell if it was from the feeling of nervous premonition or just the fact that the cavern was so well ventilated. If they weren't so troubled by what may come, they would have appreciated this break from the horrible humidity and swarming insects. Nevertheless, they continued onwards, full of suspicion and anxiety.
The wind beating against the walls and roof of the cavern made it difficult to pick up the sound of footsteps. However, after they got to a certain point they no longer needed to fear attack from a blind spot. Their eyes were not failing them. There was light at the back of the cave. Rather, it was not a light, but a well lit corridor whose walls were worn smooth almost to the point it was like marble. As they pushed forward, they were startled as a voice suddenly boomed throughout the cavern.
"Ha, the queen of the apes has decided to grace us with her presence!"
Instantly, the group of five formed a tight circle, their backs facing each other. Their eyes scanned everything in sight, but there was no creature other than the ones in their own group. Ayla looked at Crono, nonplussed as to what her actions should be. Crono gave her a confident nod which she took to be an urging to answer, "Are you the Reptites that have been attacking my people?" An echoic voice laughed stoically while saying, "And what if we are?"
Ayla broke from the circle and paced gently paced around the room as if she were trying to get a bearing on the voice. All the while, she showed signs of great irritation. "Months ago, your leader met with me and agreed that there would be no fighting for a time. Why are there Reptites attacking innocent villagers? Why are they stealing? Are you watching our village? Do you know that we could end many lives?"
The voice hissed, "Yes, I am aware of the treaty, but we do not honor commitments with dross such as you."
"What mean 'dross'?" Ayla spat, clearly getting livid.
"Ha! Ever the articulate one. Is it any wonder why we are meant to rule? Such ignorance cannot be meant to rule this world and all it possesses."
At this point, Marle spoke out, "You are the ignorant one! At least she can speak her language and yours!"
The voice was unable to hide its surprise as it said, "How is it that you have learned the Reptite language so well?"
"None of your business!" Marle replied, tightening her grip on the crossbow.
During that moment there was a bizarre occurrence. There was a sensation that passed over the entire group and it felt very much like being dunked in frozen water. The sensation was very brief, but it made a long-lasting impression. It almost felt as if a ghost had passed through them. They all looked at each other and suddenly the voice announced, "Ah, I have seen you with my mind's eye. I see that you are not like these other apes. You wear clothes of linen and not furs. You bare and uphold yourselves properly as our trained slaves, yet you retain no fear of us nor do you seem to know who we are. This is very interesting…"
Ayla, still dwelling on the odd feelings, suddenly began to put pieces together within her mind. She began to speak with certainty and boldness. "I know I felt that feeling before. It is the feeling of kadalum…It is the feeling of power given to the wicked by another who is far more wicked than the rest. There is only one being I know who can prophesy and see without seeing and bring such a horrible feeling…Azala, is that you?"
The voice sighed, "Ah, perhaps you are not as dim as I imagined."
Ayla grit her teeth and yelled, "Azala, you snake! You promised you would leave our people alone if we spared yours!"
The voice hissed venomously, "We will not stop until every last filthy mongrel is destroyed! You forget; I know your thoughts. You knew that peace couldn't last forever."
"You know my thoughts?" Ayla replied astutely, "Then you know that it is not my will to fight you!"
"Ha," the voice rumbled derisively, "your belief in an all-loving, encompassing being has conditioned you to deny your true desires. I know far more than you can comprehend. You do want to fight us, but you fear us, yet you hide your fear behind an imaginary creature whom you created out of a foolish, vain hope. You claim to have pure motives while you say our hearts are black. You say we are sinners. You say our ancestors have been cursed with this skin for the sins we have committed. How do you know that it is not you are cursed? When you are crushed underneath our feet, only then shall you realize that God and fate side with us!"
Ayla growled as she shouted, "Do you not hear yourself? First you deny God; then you say believing in God makes us weak. Yet you say you fight to see who God sides with?"
The voice laughed triumphantly as if he had seen some detail Ayla had not, "It is so much fun to toy with the mind of an ape. See how your wit hinders you? I have stopped believing in the same being that my ancestors believed in. I can see that it was only a way for you to control us by guilt which we should not have. Therefore, I have endeavored to remove these vain and foolish beliefs from my kind."
"Do not call my beliefs foolish!" Ayla pounded the ground, making dirt fall gracefully from the ceiling. "You know what is true!"
She stood low to the ground; her clenched fists were ready to hammer the ground if she needed release. This whole time, Crono and his friends were confused about this whole exchange. What they did not know what that millions of years of history have preceded this one. However, as they listened they slowly began to realize one thing: the "apes" would become the humans and the "reptites" would become the mystics.
It was a very sobering thing to hear them argue against each other; they were echoing the very same thing that would happen throughout the course of their history. The sobering thought finally became depressing.
The same voice came to them again, but it was different. It did harbor an odd feeling, but not as strongly as before. The reason for this was because Azala was no longer speaking into their minds, but was in the act of speaking to them face to face. They turned to a darkened part of the room as a figure emerged. The creature, although small, appeared powerful. Its skin was scaly and emerald green. It was clothed in fine robes that you would expect to find on the king of Guardia. Its eyes were yellow and its sharp teeth were bared. What was especially noticeable was the thing in his claws.
"The gate key!" Lucca shouted out involuntarily. She squealed in surprise at her own voice and cupped her mouth.
Azala laughed, "Do not worry, young ape. I knew the purpose of this item before you opened your mouth."
"Give that back, Azala! These are my visitors! They have nothing to do with us!" Ayla began to step forward but was stopped by a warning finger.
"First," Azala began, "I have questions to ask." He turned to the young visitors. He gave them an inquisitive glance as he stepped closer. His royal robes dragged on the floor as he circled about them. He smiled wanly and said, "What brings you to this place? Why do I sense something strange within you? Do you know my master?"
"What?" Crono addressed him with a raised eyebrow. At that moment, he felt his comfort dwindle and felt it necessary to unhinge his blade. Azala chuckled mirthlessly and took a three steps backwards, all the while keeping eye contact and gesturing him to calm himself. "I just want to know…"
"Can't you just read our minds?" Crono spat.
Azala only growled and turned his eyes away as if he were offended. Somehow, he also seemed slightly ashamed. "You test my patience. I will get my answers."
"You will get my sword slicing through your neck if you don't give back what you stole!" Crono jutted forward to send the point across.
Azala stood, unflinching. "You will not answer my questions, will you? Very well, but I will get those answers even if I have to pry it from your mouths."
No sooner had he said those words he shrunk back into the shadows of a random hallway. Ayla made a move to pursue him, but she was stopped by an overbearing sense of danger. She jumped back into the group who were also visibly disturbed. She stood, her knees bent and fists clenched. She spoke through gritted teeth as she warned the others to be on their guard. However, her apprehensive tone seemed to suggest that she needed to hear this more than her companions.
"Now," came the disembodied voice of Azala, "kill the ape and the rest, save for two. That is all we will need."
The words rumbled the walls of the cave and suddenly the lights began to dim. A strong wind blew through the cavern, extinguishing the torches that hung against the wall. Before the last flame died a pair of red eyes glowed in the flickering light, signifying that they were no longer without the presence of a reptite.
"Crono, can you see anything?" Marle asked in what Ayla regarded as a surprisingly calm voice.
"Of course not…Lucca, can you hold the light so we can fight?"
Evidently, their attackers were not expecting their victims to create light from their hands. The cave was illuminated in a red glow as Lucca conjured a powerful flame that gave light unbefitting its size. The creatures, which moved about with the silent grace of assassins, stood in stunned silence and embarrassment as their targets smiled at them humorously. Crono held out a palm to the foremost attacker, who only watched in disbelief. A very small and weak jet of voltage found its way to the creature's sensitive nose, causing him to growl and rub his snout irritably.
"Peek-a-boo, I see you!" Crono said in a sing-song voice.
The creature, which had been standing still almost as if he hoped he was invisible, let out a roar that was meant to intimidate. He leapt towards the group and a fist collided into his stomach. He flew back into the assemblage of creatures who fell like crushed trees. All rose to their feet and moved in closer, still being very calculating. Meanwhile, Crono mentioned to the group that they should circle Lucca and protect her while she gave light.
"I said kill them!"
That enraged voice was the very thing the assailants needed to hear. Just as quickly as they heard the command, they squatted on their haunches and launched themselves towards the group. A cold wind whipped through the cave and suddenly a wall of crystal appeared between them and their pray. It was too late to stop and a few collided against the shimmering barrier. They were amazed even still, seeing that this was not crystal, but ice that was summoned to protect them. Even still, they were more frightened at the prospect of reaping their master's rage and leapt towards the ice again. It shattered into millions of pieces and fell to the ground, melting almost immediately.
A reptite landed at Crono's feet and began slashing with his claws. A claw flew towards his face, making Crono lean back. The creature then tried to slash Crono's abdomen, but Crono noticed his design ahead of time. While the reptite went low, Crono head butted the creature in the nostrils and it stumbled back clumsily. Robo moved through the group with Ayla at his back. What Robo lacked in speed he made up for in brute strength, and although Ayla was strong she was not as powerful in lifting as Robo. However, she was faster than he could ever be. While Robo would bare the brunt of the blows, Ayla dodged and weaved through the slashing claws as if she were made of rubber. Once in a while she would follow up with an attack of her own, but after several efforts the reptites noticed that their attacks could not pierce Robo's armor.
"Attack the queen ape!" Bellowed Azala.
Ayla felt a surge of fear go through her as she felt a claw nick her side. She gasped in pain and hunched over, feeling something warm and sticky drip down her side. Before she could fully recuperate she saw another claw coming towards her face, which she dodged. It was only within the blink of an eye that another claw headed towards her which was followed by another. She began to lose her footing as she quickly became overwhelmed.
"Watch out!"
There was a bitter wind that nearly froze Ayla to the bone. However, when she looked up she saw that a powerful gust swept her attackers aside like a giant hand. She gave a brief nod of thanks towards Marle, who also summoned some strange green light to heal her. Everyone hastily regrouped, standing with their backs toward Lucca. They surveyed their foe and saw that they were reluctant to attack again. Many of them were not rising.
"Cowards! Why do you hesitate? There are only five of them!"
Their responses ranged from quiet, ashamed mumblings to loud fearful proclamations that these were warrior prophets sent to destroy them for their wicked deeds. A few would leap from the reclusive group, going into the fray with a bowed head that expected to be beaten it. They would find themselves launched back into the darkness, sprawled out limply on the ground. After a few more attempts they were no longer leaping towards their enemies, but cowering and all were in what seemed to be a state of repentance. The sight almost broke Crono's heart. However, it astonished him and he wondered what had been their faults.
"Cowards!" Azala roared.
What happened next was harrowing. There was the sound of a low buzzing which grew in intensity. Crono's eyes searched through the barely lit cavern to find the source of the noise but his eyes finally rested on the remaining Reptites. They were clawing themselves in agony as if something were burning inside their heads. The scene was so graphic that Marle clenched her eyes shut and buried her face in Crono's chest, letting him hold her. He yelled upwards, as if he were talking to the ceiling. "Azala! What are you doing? These are your own men!"
There was no answer as the suffering continued. Just like scorpions that sting themselves to end the pain, so did these reptites pound their skulls until they cracked and they fell to the ground, dead. After a moment of silence the voice came back. There was no trace of emotion and it answered back as if it were so incredibly simple that he sounded surprised that they did not understand. "These are my servants. They have chosen me as their master. They have given up their bodies and minds when they joined me and the One I represent. Through their choices they are bound to me, and I control them. They resisted, they did not obey, and therefore, they desired to leave my service and wished to die."
"What you have done is unforgivable! You have no right to kill your own men!" Lucca shouted.
"They knew what they were choosing when they came to me. They knew that there was no leaving once they've joined. The day they have chosen me was the day that they did choose their master, and no man can have two masters. For he will grow to love one and despise the other. They have betrayed my trust, after putting their lives in my hands. I will kill as many of my men as I need to if it will bring my master to me."
"Who is this guy anyway?" Crono said tersely.
"The morning star…The fallen angel…the harbringer of death...The one who shall cleanse this world of you filthy apes by fire…"
A sudden image popped into Crono's head when Azala mentioned fire. He remembered that video he had seen in the future and how the entire world was bathed in hellfire. He gawked as said breathlessly, "Your master is Lavos…"
The group had a look of dawning comprehension save for Ayla who did not know of things to come. Azala went on, saying, "There are many names for him. Lavos is merely a name invented by those foolish prophets of old that testify of things no one can see. But my master…He has gone through the stars since the dawn of time and he has told me that all life is made to suit him. He will lift me into his glory and I shall achieve victory over my enemies. Now I know who you are, and now there is no need for you. Goodbye."
"We are not done yet! Where is he?" Crono shouted, stepping forward into the darkness.
"Your time has come. The creatures I have sent to you were weak. This is a servant who has devoted himself to me. There is no weakness in him. In fact, I believe I shall watch him kill you slowly, so that I may watch your queen realize how fragile you are."
There was dead silence for a moment, but it was ended by a faint rumbling. The rumbling grew louder with each passing second. The torches in the room suddenly sprang to life and danced frantically in ominous foreboding. The rumbling became clearer and could be identified as the sound of heavy footsteps. There was a deafening roar as the group stood together, all watching in the direction from which the noise came. From a dark cavern came Azala, who grinned in wicked anticipation. Suddenly, the wall behind him burst as a mountainous Reptite stepped forward.
It opened its mouth wide and belted out a roar that shook the cavern walls. Within its open maw were thick lines of spittle that spilled out over his glistening fangs. It had the build of a human creature and it was laced with massive, rock-like muscle. Horns adorned its head and it shook them vigorously as if it were formally challenging the group to do battle. Without a warning it charged and everyone dove out of the way.
"My servant, Nizbel, has not fought anyone for some time. This pleases him very much." Azala cackled heartily as Nizbel made another dash towards Ayla.
In the darkness of the cave a lone figure stumbled about, using a free hand to hold the wall for support. His knees were shaking and his heart beat so fast he could feel it in the back of his throat. He could hear the savage grunts and the yelling of someone fighting in the distance. Nonetheless, he still pressed forward with an iron will to make things right.
"Ayla, malapit ako na."
Kino gulped as he peered around another corner, making sure there was nothing above his ability to handle. Although Kino was not as brave as Ayla, he was still very strong and could defeat a reptite or two before he began to suffer injuries. However, this fierce roaring belonged to something much worse than the ordinary reptite. He wondered if that creature had made short work of Ayla. The prospect terrified him, but he refused to let himself believe it. Ayla could never lose! She was too strong! To prove his faith in her, he pressed forward until he finally saw the faint glowing of a distant torch.
He could hear the grunts and strains of effort from something that sounded human. He peeked from around the corner and saw something that made him sick to his stomach. There was the largest brute he had ever seen, its claws slashing at his chieftain. Ayla would strike a blow every once in a while, but the creature was very quick and very precise with how he absorbed the damage. He flexed his muscle before the impact, insomuch that Ayla could swear she was hitting rock.
"Marle, Lucca, let's attack him together!"
Kino whipped his head towards the visitors. The scuffle between Ayla and the reptite came to a brief pause as he looked over to them. Without another hesitation, he charged towards them and swung his massive arm in a wide arc. Like acrobatic mice, the visitors dodge the blow while the metal one tried his brute strength against the reptite. He made no effort to dodge the blow, but planned to take it in his side and lock in the arm with his own. The scaly arm met his body with a clang and the scrapping of dust underneath metal soles. The armored warrior made a quick jerk, which would have popped anyone's arm ligament. However, the creature stood, still as stone and smiling as he cocked back his other arm and pounded the visitor in the body. The metal man fell against the wall and slid to the floor, slowly rising again. "Something is not right…It is like regular attacks do nothing to him!"
"Then try something else!" Crono said, jumping in front the reptite with a grunt. There was a sudden blinding light which lasted for several seconds before it cleared. The light caused a tingly sensation to go through Kino's eyes, which he rubbed in an effort to rid himself of it. When he could see again, he was pleased to find that the reptite was breathing hard, as if the shock tightened his throat and made it hard to breathe. The rest of the group took advantage and began to slash, punch, and shoot at the creature. It tried in vain to block the onslaught, but it began to fall to its knees and it grew weaker and weaker.
"Hold! Stop that this instant or I destroy your precious device!"
Kino looked to the direction of the voice. He was surprised to see a very familiar face. "Azala…" He hissed this name under his breath as if he loathed saying it. A pang of guilt struck him when he saw it was the gate key which he stole from Crono earlier. Azala raised it over his head as if he meant to smash it into pieces. The group grew deathly quiet, save for the labored breathing of the reptite. A cruel smile crossed Azala's face as he began to move back slowly. "Come Nizbel, we shall take our leave."
"I can destroy this scum! Please master! Give me the chance!"
"We can't now. We must make our retreat…You fought well. It's just a shame that these horrendous creatures don't know the meaning of a fair fight."
Ayla stepped forward and gestured Azala to calm down, "If you give us that what belongs to Crono, we will let you go free…"
"I would rather die than to take an ape's mercy…We will leave, and I shall take this as my consolation…Come Nizbel!"
The massive creature rose and walked with a limp arm. It dragged its foot behind him as he moved toward Azala. The group matched Azala's retreating steps cautiously, as if they meant to follow them. As they did, Azala began to move towards a dark tunnel. He thrust the gate key out in a show of domination. The group collectively sucked in air as they tried to search for a way to retrieve their valued item.
Wait a minute! The thought struck Kino so suddenly he felt as if he were the world's biggest idiot. Azala had not noticed him! With something that can only be defined as foolish bravado, he began to sprint towards the unsuspecting duo. Everything moved in slow motion as he dived for the gate key in Azala's outstretched hand. He could feel a claw tug at his clothing as he flew by. He was now clear of retaliation and held the gate key in his hand. Azala glanced at his empty hand and then to the ape that rolled across the floor. He looked at his nemeses as they stood still, also surprised by what happened.
"Get them!" was the first thing that was yelled.
They began to run towards their thieves with the intent to finish their work. Poor Nizbel still moved slowly and seemed that he was about to be overtaken. However, it became evident that Azala was not lacking in powerful skills. He held up his arms and Nizbel was pulled by some invisible energy into a dark tunnel. Azala levitated in the air, much to the surprise of Crono and his troop, and he flew equally fast into the dark tunnel. A great rumbling came as the tunnel collapsed behind them, separating Ayla from her enemy.
"No!" Ayla grunted in annoyance.
"Ayla, okay ka na?"
Ayla turned her attention from the tunnel to Kino who stood with an offered hand. She smiled diminutively and took it, letting him pull her up from the ground. She dusted off her shins and gave him a congratulatory pat on the back. Kino looked down sheepishly, but looked up as he saw a pair of tan pants and leather boots come into his view.
Crono stood in front of him now, and Kino felt the color leave his face. He was prepared for a punch; therefore, he jolted in fear as he felt a friendly pat on his shoulder. He looked at Crono quizzically. Slowly, with child-like simplicity, he said, "Do you want to hit me still?" Crono shook his head, and said, "Nah, why would I want to hit a friend?" Ayla smiled brightly as Kino stammered for a reply. Crono gave him handshake, pulling him into a partial hug. He separated and saw that Kino was smiling as well. He said very sincerely, "When I found out you stole our things, I was sure I hated you. I thought you were a bad person, but I think you proved me wrong. Thanks to you, we can get home."
Lucca, who hid her tearful happiness rather well, said sarcastically, "Well, that wasn't the corniest thing I ever heard."
"Shuddap!" Crono said cheerfully, turning to face them with his arm around Kino. "Let's get back home already."
They did not bother returning to the village this time. They had no more time for detours, or at least, they were so excited that they did not want any more detours. However, as they walked, Lucca and Robo had many questions about the exchange between Ayla and Azala. Particularly, they wondered what Azala meant when he said something about being cursed.
It was a long story, but Ayla rehearsed to them many things that they never heard before. All this seemed to be of religious consequence, but they have never heard of such a thing in their places of worship. Ayla stated that this world had been around for a long time and that there used to be even more people than at first. She said that there was a people who feared god while the others took up worshipping idols in the form of venomous creatures. They constantly attacked those that feared gods and even tried to sneak in among them. Finally, god cursed the wicked by giving them the same appearance of their idols. While the reptites believed it to be a gift, Ayla, the prophets, and her people believed it to be a curse.
Lucca, quoting scripture she remembered from her old days in Sabbath school, said, "The prophets say that the wicked take the truth to be hard. That is why I believe Azala fights Ayla and her people. He wishes to prove that she and her kind are wrong by defeating them in battle. In that wise, it is a smart thing to do to ease a guilty conscious."
"Nothing he is doing is smart." Ayla replied curtly, which she apologized for immediately.
"I hope you stay strong Ayla," Marle said in earnest, "for all of our sakes."
"Thank you." She said with a smile and a hug.
They were underneath the shining blue gate now. To reach the gate they needed to climb up a separate path and leap into the gaping hole. Kino and Ayla escorted them and they were still confused about what was going to happen next. Marle gave them a wink and said, "Just you wait! You won't believe your eyes! In any case, thank you guys for everything! One day, we will repay you!"
Ayla laughed, "For what? The party? We should thank you. It gave us a reason to have one!"
"Well, maybe we will see each other soon. You both take care!"
Fearing a lengthy farewell, Lucca grabbed everyone by the hem of their shirts and jumped over the edge of the cliff. Kino and Ayla yelped in surprise and rushed over to look over the edge. When they did, they saw nothing there. They looked at each other, back down, and back at each other again.
"Mga espiritu sila?" Kino asked.
"Indi ko kabalo, pero, isip ko nga kinahanglan ako mag…urp! Kinahanglan ako magsuka…"
"Dapat indi ka mangin hubog, Ayla. Indi na bugay sa ginsulat sang mga propeta." Kino said gently.
"Hipos ka da…" Ayla said as she weakly leaned against a tree.
After a moment of rest so Ayla could…take care of her immediate need…they began to head back to the village.
Translation: (From last chapter) Indi ako magpauli…indi na. – I can't go home…not yet.
Ayla, okay ka na? – Ayla, are you alright?
Mga espiritu sila? – Are they spirits?
Indi ko kabal, pero, isip ko nga kinahanglan ako magsuka! – I don't know, but I think I might need to throw up!
Dapat indi ka mangig hubog, Ayla. Indi na bugay sa ginsulat sang mga propeta." – You shouldn't get drunk, Ayla. That doesn't go with what the prophets wrote.
Hipos ka da… - Shut up.