Chrono Trigger
The Assault on the Palace; A chapter in which our heroes attempt a victory…
The dreaded morning finally came. There was no struggle waking up that morning. Even in their sleep the obstacle that faced them was ever-vigilant in harassing their thoughts. Their eyes, not at all weighed down by grogginess, searched for their preparations and they left their quarters. The entire assemblage that had attended their arrival the day before waited in the common room, the gurus standing at the head of the group. They gave a nod toward the visitors, causing the whole room the acknowledge their presence in a similar gesture. Glenn looked about and noticed that Schala was in the crowd, watching the gurus with a hushed and nervous countenance.
"My friends," began Balthazar, "today is the day when we must take upon ourselves a great and heavy burden."
The guru of time stepped forward and spoke. "Upon much deliberation, we have found that we have received no revelation to allow an attempt on the queen's life. Instead, we shall hinder their process and Lavos' claim on the minds of this populace by striking at the Mammon Machine. It will be a dangerous mission and it will require the concentrated attention of us all to succeed. However, if we do succeed, we may begin a new era of peace and prosperity. And hopefully our beloved queen, who is enslaved by the wiles of the abominable one, shall be set free." Schala nodded tearfully at this and the guru of time stood back.
"The plan has three stages: the entrance, the dismantling of the Mammon Machine, and the departure." Balthazar took the floor again, gesturing to a few people who began handing out pieces of paper with writing on it. While the others were not able to understand the words written on the parchment, Robo was able to understand perfectly. The day before he was approached by a member of the society and received instruction on the coded message system that had been concocted by the gurus. Also, he had researched the language of the people due to Marle's request and was prepared to translate any thing they came across. "What we have just handed out," Balthazar began, "is a last resort. If the plan at all fails, we will be compromised. If that is the case, we must take refuge in the Earthbound village at Terra cave. They are our allies. They will assist us in any way they can."
The guru of time held up a strip, "The message on these strips of paper contain directions and landmarks you must follow to reach the safe haven, as well as coordinates. Keep it on your person at all times. However, if you are caught you must destroy the message immediately. Remember that any stragglers must return to their residences and we shall send an agent to inquire of your condition. Our agent will escort you to the haven should he find you. Having said that, we will begin explaining the plan."
Balthazar stepped forward. "The first phase of the plan is entry into the palace where the Mammon machine is kept. It has come to our attention that just last night the queen has ordered that the work on the Ocean Palace must be doubled. It is a fantastic error on her part. Many guards have been relocated to the Ocean Palace to watch over the work force and therefore the security at the palace is lax. The Queen has been so obsessed with finishing the palace that most security has been removed from the Mammon Machine."
Crono raised his hand, and was encouraged to speak by way of a nod from Balthazar. "Why would the Queen abandon the Mammon Machine? If it has been working so effectively why would she rush into such a thing and leave herself open?"
"That is a good question, and it lets us know her condition. Those who are hungry for power go after it recklessly. It is not enough to have the Mammon Machine. She wishes to tap into that well of endless power whereby she may gain a deeper control of the population. She is greedy, Crono...as she gets closer to her goal she loses sight of all that which surrounds her and focuses only on the greater prize. Or, it could even mean that Lavos is working through her and understands that something has been going awry and he does not understand why."
"I see. Even Lavos is greedy to control the people."
"It is more than that..." Balthazar said with a lowered head. This encouraged a soft murmuring among the people. "If this plan fails, and if the Queen reaches Lavos anytime soon through the Ocean Palace, Lavos shall awaken."
The scattered murmurs intensified and the party felt a dreaded fear go through them. How could this possibly be? Then it came to Lucca as she remembered the strange report they saw in Arris dome and their conversation before that. She whispered to her friends as she hit them with the similar revelation, "Is this the city that is destroyed in the old myth?"
Crono's eyes went wide and he felt a great hope swell inside him. It was not for himself, but for the world that surrounded him. How would the future change if they could prevent Lavos from destroying an entire civilization? What great blessings would come from an entire world that had been spared the torment of destruction and if it was led by good, inspired men? How would the future change? How could a more righteous world change his own life? Perhaps through his own death his sister could live again...The thought was almost as palpable as hunger to him and he suddenly felt as if there was more of a reason to continue on his rapidly ending path.
Balthazar continued. "We have sent a correspondence to the tribe leader in the Earthbound village. He has agents that understand the pains they may suffer as a result if the mission fails. They will offer themselves up as slaves so that we may have a reason to enter the palace. I must warn the group heading up the mission that the Earthbounders will be branded as slaves before your eyes. It is very important that you show no emotion or make any move to help them. That will give you away. If you have any emotions that feel like they are forcing you to intervene, remember that doing so will earn the death of everyone involved."
Lucca squirmed in her spot and Marle found the palm of her hand covering her mouth as she held back a gasp. Glenn found himself moved by the dedication of these unknown volunteers and took it as strengthened reason to fulfill his mission. Balthazar continued, "Marle has familiarized herself with the layout of the palace. As a symbol of her power, the Queen has placed the Mammon machine in the throne room's antechamber. There will be imperial guards protecting the chamber. You must dispatch of them quickly by any means you deem fit. Be careful not to make a sound or else you will alert any others standing guard. When that is complete you are ready to proceed with the second step: dismantling the Mammon machine."
"How do we do that?" Lucca asked.
"The Mammon machine is only a piece of machinery constructed by Dalton. However, it has been honed to very high tolerances and it takes many weeks to produce the parts necessary. It is a fine machine, but it is also very dependent on every single part to function. Also, a great amount of spiritual energy is needed to restart the machine and only a few people in Zeal Kingdom have such a command of the elements. In fact," Balthazar began, with a tone of melancholy, "it was us who had allowed the process to begin. It is made of strong material, but a steady barrage of attacks with your power should cause months of damage. That would lessen the hold on Lavos, weaken the magical power of the kingdom, and allow Schala to talk sense into her mother. And if that fails, we may at last have the freedom to send a team after Melchoir. Then perhaps we may be able to divine a more correct course of action."
"And lastly," began the Guru of Time, "we must speak of the escape. Throughout the entire palace there are many tunnels and hiding places. You will leave with the prisoners in tow. If anyone dares question you, say that Dalton has commanded them to work in his palatial workshop. They will then ask to see proof of this claim and we have it in the form of this key with his crest. It is a duplicate to his study and they will not be the wiser. To the knowledge of many, Dalton entrusts keys to very few and he is very a very impatient man. Nobody will trouble you or keep you long enough to earn a rebuke from Dalton. Within his shop there is a hidden door that leads out to the courtyard, and from there is a grate that leads to a waterway. You shall be led to a public garden where you may mingle in with the crowd. The fresh brand marks on the Earthbound will cover their identity and nobody will question them to be anything more than slaves."
"Now, we must begin soon. Get your affairs in order and take this time to go over details. There will be no discussion or outward talk of rebellion lest we are caught by the ever watching."
"May God be with us all..."
The palace walls shone in the mid-morning light. It was a beautiful day, but Janus could not feel the warmth of the sun nor any reason to feel joy. Even with his faithful feline companion resting on his lap he felt alone and despondent. He stoked the purring cat, his eyes vacant and staring off into space. He could feel the presence of his sister, whom he loved and trusted more than anyone, but even her comforting presence did nothing to lift his mood.
"She threatened my life, Schala..."
Janus did not need to hear her ask how he was doing. He already knew what she was going to say. He could feel concern gushing from her heart and toward him. It was no great secret that she had been worried sick for him. Janus had not been a joyful child for more than a minute in quite some time, but his sadness was as thick as any as Schala had ever felt. Her heart ached as she watched him intently, his poor little shoulders slumping forward as if there were no energy left in them. Even still, his small hands moved over the purring cat whose tail intertwined Janus' arm in an almost comforting gesture.
Schala gave an unconvincing laugh and said, "She did not mean that in the slightest! Oh, my dear brother, you know mother would never mean such things!"
"That," Janus stated strongly, "is not our mother."
There was a moment of silence between the them as Janus stared out the large window of his room. Schala stood, a single arm gripping the other at the elbow. She looked at Janus and thought for a moment. Her mouth moved as if she wanted to say something, but her jaw shut before it left. She only moved to his back and lovingly rustled his hair, "I know things have been harder and harder, but please believe me that it will all be over soon. We will have our mother back and everything will be okay. I promise."
"Sister, what do you mean?" A slight gleam of light returned to those weary eyes as they found Schala.
Schala thought for a brief moment yet again, remembering the words of the prophets. They had told her that the plan must be kept in secret and that nobody should know about the plan to disrupt the Mammon machine. However, the spark of hope in her brother touched her in such a profound way that the very thought of sharing the news brightened her heart. She looked about herself and remembered the lessons she received about shielding the prying powers of mind readers and spies from their conversations. She uttered a short incantation of protection, which gathered the attention of her brother. She stood in front of him, her hands gently gripping his shoulders. "Janus, the gurus are here, in Zeal Kingdom!"
A warm and wonderful feeling spread through her as her brother's face lit up in an instant. Those features, darkened by all the weight that must needs be carried by a cast-down prince, were cleared away. The prince stood up, which alarmed the cat causing it to leap to the floor. His eyes stared into Schala's and he began bouncing on his heels. "They are okay?" Janus began, his voice trying very hard to stay quiet. He nearly burst into tears as Schala nodded in reply.
"But, what does that have to do with mother?" Janus asked.
Schala, in her joy and compassion, did not see any reason to hold her peace. "The gurus have constructed a plan. Today, they have sent a group of people to dismantle the Mammon machine and free our mother from Lavos' control...I promise by the end of this day things will get better."
Meanwhile the prophet, clad in his dark and heavy robes, rose his head that had been lowered in meditation. A reddish gleam shown from underneath the shadow of his hood. He smiled as thoughts of unseen goals filled every faucet of his imagination. He felt a great rising in the pit of his stomach, much like the feeling of torturous anticipation. That great swell of vicious excitement drowned whatever doubt he felt in himself. The words spoken by Janus no longer touched him as he felt his heart beat heavily.
His eyes gleamed again, "So, they are coming for the Mammon machine..."
They arrived into the foyer and they were dressed the part.
The slaves were young men, yet there was a fierceness of purpose in their eyes. They were dressed in rags, their hands and feet bound by iron shackles, their hair long and unkempt. A trained eye was able to spot the bruises that they had received before hand to make the scene all the more believable. It was easy to see by those who knew the plan that they had given each other their cuffs to the body in preparation for this moment as the scrapes on their knuckles shown. They began their walk they said nothing, only keeping their eyes on their feet. Crono, dressed in the uniform of a palace guard, could not help but observe them.
The unofficial leader of the group was a darker man, his skin tone being the same as molasses. He was a handsome man, his eyes shining brighter in comparison to his dark skin. He was thinner, but muscle laced over him and he walked as a lamb to the slaughter. They stood before the stairwell and turned to Crono before asking if he could say a few words. Crono nodded. He turned to face his comrades and said, with a voice that did not waver, "Those who are with us, do not show any sympathy. We will our give our lives, even in vain if we must, but make the best use of them. As for you all, my friends, do your duty for our families and that they may no longer live in fear."
Crono nodded.
The light of the day was blinding as they stepped outside. A thick crowd of people surrounded them, yet all began to move out of the way as their presence was realized. Crono and his team, who were dressed as soldiers, stood on either side of the long row of slaves. They walked in three rows, each row containing ten. The people only watched in interest as they shuffled past, the occasional man or woman asking where they may buy these slaves. Crono answered them every time with the answer he had been given: "They are for the Queen's use. Bother me no more."
Crono watched as the Earthbounders moved forward, their heads hung low. However, something about their true nature stood out to him. While their shoulders were slumped and they dutifully looked away from those that tried to make eye contact, there was a distinct lack of fear. Crono was used to seeing such fear in his teammates whenever they fought foes in the beginning. It had slowly begun to disappear and now they were resolute, but these people faced their duty the same way. It made Crono wonder what their lives were like and how rough it must have been to live in the world below. A certain respect came forth from this observation.
They cleared the plaza and headed north, according to the instructions they had received. They reached the edge of town and walked about a half mile further. There was a long stairway that winded up a mountain with prodigiously smooth stone slopes. From what they had heard, there were many places within the city that could be used to transport them into the palace, however it was mostly for those high in status and as such it was guarded by many people. Therefore, according the the gurus, the front gate was the expected way for those who wished to keep a low profile. The stairway, which winded about the face of the mountain, grew shady as it went into the mouth of a natural cave. Lanterns hung from the roof of the cavern, their soft glow illuminating their clean, earthy surroundings that smelled of rich dirt and grassy roots. They traveled through the cave for some time that continued to wind upward with the occasional step. When they emerged again onto the face of the mountainside, they could see the glorious shimmering walls of the palace and the magnificence of the city below. A hundred yards ahead of them was a checkpoint where many merchants and guards stood about. A gate, which was bored into a thick wall, was the only thing from that point, allowed access into the courtyard.
"What is that you have there?"
Crono had not noticed a member of the guard asking him questions. He looked at the man blankly as the guard sat at a makeshift desk before him. He tapped his quill against a piece of parchment as if he waited for something. Crono felt a tiny jab into his back and he answered clumsily as a result. The guard looked at him and asked again with a slight tone of impatience in his voice. Crono cleared his throat and said with as much authority as he could muster, "Her majesty has asked for more reinforcements to work on the Undersea Palace. They have been transferred from libraries in Enhasa. The queen demanded that ownership be handed over to her estate as of now."
"Of course, of course," said the guard with a wave of his hand as he subtly asked Crono to stop. "I trust that you have the papers with the Queen's seal?"
There was a strange custom within the Zeal's military. The ranking officer of a group, even if another officer he dealt with had a higher rank, had an underling hand over the paperwork. This was one of the many rules that was impressed upon Marle and she had the wisdom and foresight to foresee what would be asked of them. She stepped forward before Crono could make the offer and the guard accepted it with an inclination of his head. He looked over the credentials, his head nodding as he investigated each stamp. "Very good. Everything is in order. You may gain entry. Is this your first time passing into the palace, boy?"
"Yes sir," Crono said with a nod.
"Then this must be a promotion for you. Congratulations. There are a few things that you must know. These people are unclean from the conditions they lived in. They could possibly carry diseases that may affect the queen. For that reason, they must be stripped of their rags, washed, and then branded with the Queen's mark. There are three stations: one for stripping and detoxification, the second for assigning clothes, and the third for passing on the seal of the Queen on their cheek."
Crono could barely hide the horror on his face. A feeling of great disgust rose into his stomach as the guard remarked on these things with as little emotion and concern as possible. "Yes sir. I shall do as you say."
They walked over to the first station which was still wet from former washings. It was very much like an outdoor washroom: the floor and the walls, which the slaves were forced to put their hands against, were made of plain white tile. Drains lines the floor, the floor itself dipping so that all water naturally ran into them. While nothing seemed intimidating about that sight, what they saw next was. A very large man who was obviously proud of his strength was called over. He sighed in annoyance, his foul mood already being an awful sign of things to come. He looked at Crono, his gaze deepening only for a second until he looked away and then toward the guard that Crono had talked to earlier.
"Let me guess; he is new to this, isn't he?"
The guard at the desk nodded. "I think they all are. Take it easy on him though. Just show him what he expected to do whenever he brings a new group."
The large man snickered as a brushed a hand through his hair. "Very well. It seems like you get it a little bit easier today, kid. But this isn't a free ride. You can start by unshackling the prisoners." Crono wordlessly obeyed, a feeling of great fear rising in the pit of his stomach. He could look over and see the faces of his companions who tried with all their power to seem unmoved. Crono could tell by the stillness of their faces and by how hard they tried to be emotionless that they were just as scared as he was. In this sense, the slaves did not need to worry about giving themselves away. A few could afford to put on a show while the others probably shed a tear or two in actual fear.
"Line them up against the wall, their hands placed against the tile and their backs facing us." The guard motioned to the tiled wall.
The earth bounders were obedient and placed their hands as they were unshackled. Then, they gasped in surprise as the wall gave way and closed up again around their wrists so that they could not move. Some even tried to pull their hands free of the wall, but it was to no avail. "The wall has been enchanted so that it releases the prisoner only when I say so. This keeps the slaves from thrashing about as we strip and wash them down." He walked toward a slave, who was pale and quivering, his blue eyes wide open in fear. He could not help but turn around and look at the creature who stood at his back. His reward was a strong hand gripping the back of his head. The slave felt his head being thrust forward against the tiled wall. The wall cracked, but slowly melded back together while a thin line of blood trickled down the face of it.
"No looking at me!" the guard barked. All slaves put their foreheads against the wall as a result.
The guard walked to the beginning of the line and looked at Crono while saying, "Next comes the stripping. There is no need to be worried about preserving the clothes. We just burn them after they are thrown away, so don't be afraid to just rip it off them." And without another word he gripped a handful of clothing around the scruff of an earthbounder's neck. The coarse material dug into his neck on the first and second tug, but finally the third tug brought broken seams which finally gave way as it was tugged upon again. The earth bounder was now bare up-top, but the guard did not stop there. He grabbed the lower set of rags and pulled, the cloth digging painfully into the lower extremities. The guard laughed as the slave nearly feel to his feet, his wrists moving loosely as his hands kept forgetting they could no longer move to massage his pains.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Strip them."
The party moved with hesitation. The large man eyed them with a moment's worth of suspicion before he egged them on a final time. Crono could hear Glenn whisper into the ears of one of the earthbounders, "I shall do it as swiftly as I can. Forgive me." There was the sound of tearing as the party moved down the line, stripping the slaves from head to toe. Marle, Ayla, and Lucca, under the hypocritical guise of piousness, were ordered to turn about not for the sake of being shielded from such an awful act, but to guard their eyes against the earthbounders filth and nakedness.
"It is wise to have them against the wall like this. They flail about in a wild manner when they are sanitized. Bring out the water!"
Two men walked forward, their countenances grim with the prospect of what was work for them. One pushed a barrel of water while the other guided it with its hand so it did not fall off the dolly. The lined up in front of the prisoners and went to work. The water rose from the barrel like a snake as one attendant guided it with his hands. The other conjured a flame in midair and slowly guided it to the water. It met with a great hissing and explosion of steam. The man who controlled the water let his gestures become more frantic and he kept the steam from escaping. The process only took a few seconds and the water was boiling. Crono looked toward the women and was very grateful that they didn't have to watch this, yet his teeth clenched as he guessed at what came next.
The man threw his hands outward, the ball of water following his direction. The steaming water hit the back of the first slave who instantly fell to his knees, his arms convulsing wildly as his arms fought instinctively to defend himself from a pain that he could not protect himself from. The stone wall began to crack and the area about his wrists began to bleed, but the damned wall kept mending itself and it held strong. Even worse, the man moved the water so that it graced every area of his body. While the heating of the water lasted only a second, the horrible washing took nearly a whole minute for each man. Their bodies were burned dark, their skin shiny from the blisters that covered them from head to toe. Such a horrible treatment would have been fatal if these torturers, in all their knowledge of the limits of human endurance, had not provided a man to heal their wounds with the very same water that scalded them.
As the slave howled on his knees, Crono remembered his foolishness of thinking that he had entered into a paradise. He remembered the rooms he saw in that structure that separated a world of plenty from a world of devastation. The memory of the mural came back to Crono. He recalled the scene where women and men were dressed like kings and queens while others were cast underfoot, naked and ashamed. The mural, which held little significance to him then, was forever etched into his mind as a symbolic piece of work that only hinted at the cruelties that reigned in this heavenly hell.
The earth bounders could barely stand even after they were healed. The feeling of stress and pain had made them weak. The guard uttered an incantation and they fell to the ground as the wall released their hands. Robo hung his head low, his feelings overcoming even him. The guard was unmoved as he called out to Crono and his company. "Bring out the clothier." An older man who must have held this job in his youth stepped forward with two bins on rollers. Each bin held clothes of the highest quality, yet they were white and very plain. One bin held slacks while the other held aprons that covered the whole body. In their weak state the slaves were ordered to dress themselves and that if they were not prompt they would be burned again and not healed. Despite their ordeal, they had dressed very quickly even though they moved as if they were still in agony. They were then ushered to the second station after they were shackled once again. They each received two pairs of the same clothing and were told to wash their garments everyday and that they must be kept spotless unless they wanted punishment.
The third station came next, but after what they had seen it was far easier than they expected. It caused the women to tense and tear up out of concern, but the men would still the see the cleansing session vividly in their minds and so it would stay for many years. Even for the slaves, who had anticipated this part of the clearance to be the most painful, did not express the same agony as red hot steel pressed against their cheeks. A healer, however, was not on call for this instance for fear that healing the pain would also remove the scar. That, in its self was the only annoyance toward the slaves, seeing that they had to endure the pain until it disappeared.
"I know what you are are thinking..." said the guard to the women of the group. "It is a horrible thing to see, but I promise that you will slowly adapt. You will realize, as you try to keep these ignorant sheep in line, that they are not worth feeling sympathy for. The sooner you realize they are less than us, the better you will be."
Lucca's blood boiled. Within her mind she shouted many things, things very much like "how could you be so sick?" or "let's see how you would feel after being 'cleansed'". Her fingers twitched and her infamous anger was beginning to show at her fingertips. The air grew heavy with heat, but suddenly it went away as Crono clapped a hand on her shoulder. She had a look on her face that showed she was startled from her vicious thoughts. The guard rose an eyebrow, but Crono acted quickly. He looked at the guard and said, "Please, she will be fine. She has come from a wealthy family who owned an earthbounder and they were friends. It will take time to break her from such familiarity."
"Of course," the guard began as he looked outward, "it is a common thing. These earthbound people always try to manipulate children first...Please, you may enter the palace now. I assume you can find the way by yourself?"
"Of course," Crono said with a salute.
There was a steady sound of trickling water and the steady murmuring of people. It was a murmur of fanatical excitement that bore a striking resemblance to the mystics and how they revered Magus and Lavos. There were only talks of how close they were, how strong they began to feel, and how great and powerful were they so that they were almost as the gods. Even the elemental spirits seemed to have been corrupted as they walked sluggishly, their eyes seemingly shifty and their manner being mischievous. Marle led the group at this point down the finely crafted hallways where groups of scholars stood, wrapped about in all their prosperity and the learning of men. There stood the guards, their noses held high as they looked about with a condescending air. The women were also disdainful as they seemed obsessed with their own beauty.
"It seems as if they are becoming more accustomed to Lavos. They must be closer than we knew."
Crono prepared his soul and could not help but wonder how the choice to offer himself would present itself. As they rounded about the corner they found themselves very close to the throne room. A group of five guards stood at the door to the Mammon machine while two more stood at the entrance to the Queen's throne room. Having heard most of the plan from Marle, Crono remembered that he was to halt part of the group in front of the first group of guards. He walked toward the two other guards as if he were going to address them. He bowed, and as they returned the bow he quickly drew his blade and killed them. Before the five guards could react the slaves pressed on a hidden latch on their shackles and sprung free. They fell upon the guards, closing their mouths shut with their hands, promptly breaking their necks, and slowly lowered them to the ground.
Crono ran back toward the group and they quickly ushered themselves into the room where the Mammon machine stood. However, a horrifying surprise was in store for them.
"Why, hello...I assume you must be visitors to my fine kingdom?"
All members of the party went wide-eyed from shock as the Queen of Zeal stood before them, for her grand appearance allowed her to have no need for an introduction. Next to her stood her confidant, Dalton, who spit on the ground whilst he glared at the group with his eye. "Come to destroy me love, eh? Oy, so I assume that it was a good idea to place faith in that pro'pet o' yours, eh?"
Behind the Queen and Dalton stood a legion of soldiers who were the chosen best of the queen. They waited, their arms poised to rain death upon the group at a moment's notice. And from behind them they could hear the stampeding footsteps of another legion of soldiers. When Crono found that they were surrounded, a mysterious cloaked figure moved through the crowd.
"Are these the scoundrels you prophesied to us about?" The queen said, relishing what the response would be.
"Yes, these are they. But be careful. They are very strong." The prophet stepped back into the crowd while they slowly advanced.
The man who had been set apart as the leader of the Earthbound had the look of impending satisfaction as he and his followers cracked their knuckles. All the guards stood, their weapons and arms pointed toward their assailants. The Queen smirked as the Earthbound wordlessly chose their opponents and said, "Do you really think that you lowly dogs, born in filth and poverty, can stand against these men? Their shoes are worth more than your useless hides. The dirt underneath their soles is of more value than you." The Queen hummed to herself in wonder and said, "Perhaps you think that I will spare your lives and make you pets? I would be willing to do so if you bow before me and worship me now."
The earthbound leader looked up at her whilst baring his teeth, "'Why is thy glory that I should worship thee?' You will die, and if God be willing I will be the one to send you there!"
The Earth bounder leapt toward the Queen. She had backed away at the right moment. He felt the hands of many grip at his sides prompting him to relinquish any strength he held back. At that moment the rest of the earthbound and their escorts joined in the battle. Within moments the quiet hall turned into hell as swords moved and fists flew. Crono and Glenn moved with an effortless grace as they danced through the groups of guards, their swords glancing all their sides. Bones cracked and shattered under a hand of metal, arrows flew, flames whipped about friendly bodies to hit foes, and bones snapped from their ligaments as Ayla fought with great ferocity. Even the earthbounders, who lost a soul here and there, had proved themselves against the might of their guard. If one were to watch that battle they may certainly understand the value of beliefs and ideals when a war is waged. However, it was not enough, for the remaining earthbounders were quickly overpowered.
The Queen made her move, her icy blue eyes turning a hint of red as she growled with hatred, "Cease your struggle now, or they will die!" Crono and the group stopped immediately at the strange order and turned to face the Queen. They saw that of the thirty men, there were only twelve left. The remaining were severely injured and were placed on their knees. The leader of the earthbounders happened to be the one at the feet of the Queen. The Queen had taken a dagger from a member of the palace guard and she held it menacingly at the earthbounder's throat.
The leader, gasping for air, glared at the weakness he perceived in Crono and shouted, "Don't listen to her! Fulfill the mission!"
The Queen silenced him by moving the knife over the the corners of his lips, the blade slightly digging into its soft skin. The party stood non-plussed as Crono froze. The guards prepared themselves for any decision and took this opportunity to hold their arms at the ready. Ayla growled fiercely and bounced on her heels, but was stunned into inaction and Crono motioned for her to hold back. The earthbound leader, trying to grunt out a protest, seethed as the knife pressed deeper into his skin.
"Crono," Robo began, "are you sure this is the right thing to do?"
The prophesy replayed in his mind as his blood ran chill, "Yes...I know it must be. Everyone...lay down your weapons..."
The Queen smiled sardonically as Crono cast down his weapon, the members of his party hesitantly following his will. A group of guards came forward and shackled them with special cuffs that somehow made their arms weak and heavy. After attaching the same type of cuffs to their feet, they could feel their power of the elements leave them. Dalton smiled at this bit and stated proudly, "Oi, them things there happen to be conductors imbued with the power o' Lavos. Ev'dently he can give and take away, eh?"
Lucca put his words to a quick test and tried to conjure a flame between her fingertips. However, the effect brought about howling pain and she fell to her knees.
Dalton laughed, "Fo' some strange reason, they nevah seem to believe me, love. Ah, yes, it also hurts like 'ell if you try."
Crono saw the hopelessness of the situation and saw that they were bound. He looked nervously toward the captured Earthbound and said with trembling hands, "We did as you asked. Please, release them."
Crono looked into the face of the man who had sacrificed the friends he knew to achieve a goal that Crono did not finish. Despite the fact that Crono acted against his wishes, the leader could not help but feel some love toward him even though it did not show in his face. However, the only thing that showed in his face was disappointment and dismay. Knowing what would come next, he tilted his head back and looked to the ceiling as he muttered a prayer to himself. The Queen, having not noticed this gesture, said with fierce glee "Very well. Guards, you may set these curs free..."
Marle, Lucca, and Ayla gasped in shock as the sound of metal moving against skin sounded in their ears. There was no scream from these warrior; there was only the sound of spurting blood and death rattles as each one was systematically executed. The guards, in horrific sport, turned the captured to each other so that they may watch their comrade be executed before them. Crono's heart beat wildly and disbelief caused his head to go dizzy. "No," he gasped, his breath being taken from him. He gained volume as he shouted louder and louder as each captive was slain. He began to struggle in the shackles, his fingers crackling with electricity. Dalton's eyes went wide with surprise, but was relieved to see that Crono could not break free.
His body was racked with pain as he knelt to the ground. His breathing was labored even as he used a free hand to massage the pain from his chest. Tears streamed from his eyes and fell to the floor. "Make him face me." He heard a thud directly in front of him and he was forced by an unknown hand to look upward. The Queen stood before him, the Earthbound leader kneeling in between them. The Queen took the knife away from his lips and slowly moved it to his throat, the blade digging slightly into the skin. Crono's eyes darted to the young man before him. His lips moved in an soft way, as if he were peacefully speaking in silence. Crono's eyes moved to the Queen again who grinned as she slowly moved the knife across his neck. A rain of red gushed forth and Crono felt something within him go numb. He had been covered in the life of his fallen comrade, whom the Queen dropped to the floor.
"He is free now and his blood is not only on your hands, but it is on you as well. However, you are not free nor will you ever be."
Crono tried to speak a word of condemnation but nothing came out but stutters. The Queen rolled her eyes and waved them away dismissively. "Dalton, do with them as you wish."
"Yes, yer majesty." Dalton said with a grateful bow. "Take them to my study." He barked to the guards.
Crono felt his feet being dragged underneath him, but was roughly brought to his feet as the guard grew weary of carrying him. The members of the court had gathered to see the commotion and gasped as they saw Crono. However, Crono could see a familiar face in the crowd. While other faces looked on in anger and hatred, one kept herself from sobbing bitterly. Her silvery hair flowed behind her as she fled the scene.
Crono, in an effort to save his friends, had doomed them all.
"What have you done?"
A personage stood before Crono in the darkness. It somehow bore resemblance to his departed sister and the men he had let down. Crono could feel his head shaking, but even imagining the deed caused his body to ache as if he were buried in needles. Every movement he imagined caused him intense pain, yet he felt as if he were in a awful slumber. The question came again but he could not answer nor did he try in fear of feeling more pain. However, the question slowly began to change its sound until it somehow prompted him to open his eyes. While the former questions rang in his head, these new questions rang in his ears.
"Are you almost done?"
"No."
"What's taking so long? I'm getting nervous...what if Dalton catches us?"
"Janus, please be quiet...it is a very dangerous thing to separate Lavos' grip on them. He is sucking away their life at the very moment."
Crono felt his eyes open slowly and he could see the faint blurs of his teammates who hung just within his peripheral vision. Before him were two blurs dressed in robes. Crono would have rubbed his eyes, but found he could not move them. Instead, he ventured a guess. "Schala? Is that you?"
"Crono!" He felt a hand daintily touch his chest. A warm sensation filled him and he felt stronger again. His eyes cleared and he saw Schala and her brother Janus before him.
"W-where are we?"
"Dalton's study." Janus began, "You are attached to a machine that is designed in similarity to the Mammon Machine. It saps your magical abilities, so don't count on using any magic for a while. Janus, put their things down and help me free them."
The young boy dropped a bag of recovered items before he went toward Crono. Janus' tiny hands worked at the shackles encasing Crono's feet. He could feel himself dangling in the air as shackles held his arms and hands. Schala took another key and loosened the remaining cuffs so that Crono fell limply to the floor. She did the same for every member of the party and they all were drained of strength. Schala rested her hands on each one, emitting a green light as she did so. The party sluggishly rose to their feet, swaying as they stood.
"Are you alright?" Schala moved to each member of the party and lingered longer in front of Crono. The blood had been washed from him, but the pains of his earlier attempts of interfering revisited him. "It will be some time, but your powers will come back. Knowledge is something that Lavos can never take from you, but your body is too weak to conjure the elements. Escaping will not be easy..."
A familiar voice came from behind them, "In fact, escaping is not even an option..."
Schala gasped and Janus' eyes narrowed in hatred as a cloaked figure stood before them. Red eyes gleamed underneath the hood. However, when the eyes found Schala and Janus they had softened and the red abated. He stood as if he were fighting with himself and looked toward his captives again. Schala called out to him, "Please! Spare them! They do not deserve this!" Tears began to run down her face as she clasped her hands together. "Let them go! They shouldn't have to die! Wherever they came from, this doesn't concern them!"
The prophet growled, "They have interfered with your mother...they sought to destroy the Mammon Machine and almost frustrated the summoning of Lavos..."
"Please!"
The prophet's eyes found Janus who stood before him, supplicating himself on behalf of these people he barely knew. It was his love for Schala that caused Janus to humble himself and actually beg mercy from a man who was a recipient of bitter hatred. The prophet could see this and his heart softened. He could even hear the distressed mew of his cat that had been brought along by Janus and something within the prophet grew heavy. He looked toward Schala and sighed. He walked toward a wall within the facility and pushed it aside, revealing a hidden passageway. "You are not going alone...you will come with me, and Schala, you must escort me as well." The prophet turned to the young boy and said, "Janus, return to your room and do nothing until Schala returns."
Schala followed, his hands nervously wringing against each other. The party shuffled silently down spiraling steps and cobweb covered passages. One secret passageway gave into another passageway insomuch that Crono and even Schala was surprised by how well he knew these tunnels. Marle had a look of suspicion and said with a skeptical tone, "Where are you taking us?"
"The Queen has strengthened the security of the palace. I have divined to her that this was an attempt by the gurus to destroy Lavos and that a spy or two may be within the palace. We have captured one and are in the process of interrogating her...it is an elemental spirit named Doreen."
"You bastard..." Lucca said under her breath.
The cloaked prophet continued, "The Queen is watching all of Zeal at this moment. We must leave this place and go to the frozen tundra below where we cannot be detected. Schala will use her powers to bring us where you have come from and the Queen will not be the wiser. These tunnels lead to a series of warp points that branch out over the entire kingdom. One area was dedicated for warping the gurus to their places of study when they used to work for the royal family. Balthazar had worked on something known as the Sun stone, and Melchoir and Gaspar worked on something that they had taken from the kingdom and it was never revealed what they worked on."
"Gaspar?" Frog said, feeling as if the name sounded somewhat familiar.
"Yes," the prophet said with an air of impatience. "And besides those warp points, there were other spots that were to be used as an escape route should anything ever happen to the kingdom. And this is it, right here."
The party looked at the ground and saw that the spot in which they stood was similar to the first warp point they had come across. The prophet took Schala by the shoulder, causing her to shiver in repulsion. The grip slackened in reaction as the prophet said slowly, "Do not be so fast. It would not be wise to run. You are not leaving my sight. You will do as I tell you to do. Now, activate the circle." Schala, using her abilities, muttered phrases that filled the room with a brilliant red light. Within a moment they party found themselves in the freezing tundra, in the midst of nowhere.
"Now, what you may not know is that Schala is a true prodigy...It is said that she is a prophet just like Janus, only her miracles are more evident than Janus' predictions. She can draw upon the power of Lavos to warp anywhere...just as long as there is power in this pendant."
Schala produced a pendant that caused Marle to gasp in surprise. It was a pendant that bore the exact shape and heft as the one that had been passed down her family for generations. "How could that be powered by Lavos?"
Schala spoke now, "Ages ago, when Lavos descended from the heavens, pieces of him shattered and were scattered where he landed. This pendant was formed form such a shard. As such, it can store the energy emitted by Lavos...you only need to be within the Mammon machine's presence for it to restore its power."
"There is plenty left for us to take them and return?"
"Yes." Schala nodded.
"Then do it."
There was an almost pleasant sensation as they stood in the cave where they had spent their days together. There was something welcoming about this place that was absent in Zeal Kingdom. The same earthy smell was there and the roof of the cave was still covered in dark soot. The gateway to their time shined brightly as the vortex swirled about as it had always done. The prophet stood in odd silence as he beheld the portal, but he did not keep his peace long.
"You should bid yourselves lucky that Schala had entreated me to show mercy...however, you will never return to this time again. Schala, you will let them pass into the gate and you will seal it shut after them."
Schala remembered the words spoken by the prophets concerning their last hope as she looked at the defeated party. She almost began to hesitate, but saw the stiffness in the prophet's demand. She nodded.
Crono looked at Lucca sullenly and nodded, encouraging her to produce the gate key. They looked at Schala who urged them to go forward. The gate grew large and they walked into the portal, their eyes constantly going back to Schala until the gate closed. The cave was covered in a pale blue light as the gate continued to stay in place. Schala sighed and uttered an incantation that naturally came to her. There was a loud bang and the light slowly dissipated. The portal was gone. The prophet said nothing, for his heart grew heavy again as Schala's eyes poured with tears.
He hung his head and said, "You may take a moment to yourself...I will wait outside, but do not leave without me or the Queen shall surely discover us."
As he left, Schala fell to the ground and sobbed wildly. In her eyes the prophets were in trouble, and the love for her mother had cost them more than she had known.
"I am so sorry..." she said weakly. The space of many hours passed until she was able to stop her tears.
Author's Notes: Took long enough, huh? I'm so sorry, guys. I really want to keep this going strong and I want to be full-on sure of this thing. Real life is quite a hassle sometimes. Trust me when I say that this story WILL be finished though. I'm not going to stop until it is done. I just hope each chapter doesn't take as long and I'm sure that most of you feel the same way as well. Until next time, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I would like to hear your thoughts.