Chrono Trigger

The Ascension of Mount Woe; wherein our heroes find the lair of the Earthbounders and seek an opportunity to free Melchior…

The glass canopy smoothly slid down, allowing the party to climb out and investigate their surroundings. They could see a mountain pass that they had crossed over to reach the palace, and to the west they could see the mountain that housed their cavern. It would be easy to return to the transporter that led to Zeal, but Crono gave no such order. In fact, he remained as silent as ever. Marle mindlessly touched his shoulder as if to say that she would speak if he did not feel like it.

"I don't think there is any reason that we should go back to Zeal...I know we are in a hurry, but they will be looking for us." Marle began.

Lucca nodded in agreement, "It'd be like walking into a deathtrap, that's for sure."

Ayla fumed, her arms folding as she felt the cold she so despised, "Then what we do? And please decide quickly! I do not like it here!"

Marle thought for a moment and then the words of the gurus returned to her. "That's right! They drew a map in case something went wrong! Robo, can you recall that map from your memory?"

"Ingenious!" Exclaimed Robo, "We may meet up with what remains of the resistance and see what we may do next!"

"Robo," Marle said with a warm grin and gesture, "lead the way."

"Is that wise? What if we cannot find the Epoch again? We shall be stranded in this time!" Glenn asked.

"Do not worry," Robo said merrily while tapping his fingertips to his dome, "I can find our way back here."

As they walked over the tundra, Marle had noticed that Ayla and Glenn, of all people, kept falling to the rear. Although it was good for her heart to see the two of them speaking to each other in earnest, it set her mind ill at ease that they fell back from the rest of the group to do it. What even made her more nervous was that a frown of doubt or annoyance would grace their features. She could see that they tried their hardest not to look at the subject of their criticism: Crono.

She looked at Crono who kept walking, his head bent down as he watched one foot go over another. A feeling of protection came over her and she joined Crono's side, allowing her hand to bump into his. She allowed a smile to grace her lips as his hand wrapped around hers, but was slightly dismayed to see no smile from him. Did he feel the antagonistic stares from Ayla and Glenn? What had he done to deserve this? She wanted to ask Glenn and Ayla to find out, but they only grunted or said it was nothing whenever she asked.

She had an idea and left Crono's side for a moment and joined Robo who led the way. She walked side by side with him, his machinery whirling with every footstep. "Robo, you can usually tell what people are thinking, can't you?"

Robo nodded, his upper body tilting with the movement. "It is not so much that I know what they are thinking. I can sense with heat sensors, electric impulses, muscle twitching, pupil dilation and contraction to make an educated guess as to what they are feeling which is a bridge to understand what they may be thinking."

"I'm a little bit..."

"'worried'," Robo said with a touch of irony, "yes, I know. You've also noticed that Glenn and Ayla seem at odds with Crono at the moment."

"'Also'?"

"Lucca senses it too and is also worried. Crono senses it as well as feels..."

"'Worried'?" Marle said with a smile.

"No," Robo said with a sort of sadness, "he feels guilty. And disappointed."

"And what do Glenn and Ayla feel?" Marle asked.

"They also feel disappointment...but it is in Crono." Robo walked forward and seemed to think for a second before he said, "I don't usually give people away. I told you this for a reason."

"And what is that?" Marle asked.

"I know you want to help him out and I know you want to make things right, but this is not your business. I can hear what they are saying...when we rest next they will speak to him. It is wise that you let them talk to each other."

Marle bit her lip and pushed aside her hair nervously, but said she would allow it to happen.

They had reached their old campsite and they felt a pleasant nostalgia when Marle suggested that they sleep there for the night. Although the clouds were thick, she could tell that night was approaching and that the temperature would drop even faster. They entered the cave and saw the portal sealed in a strange light. It gave the room a friendlier glow and actually made it more comfortable. They instantly began to get to work, repairing the cracks in the walls and drying the ground so that it may be slept upon.

Although they were excited to sleep, a hidden tension filled the room. Lucca, by this point, had noticed the strange aversion that Glenn and Ayla shared. She had almost mentioned it, in a hot-headed moment, but was stopped by Marle. The situation remained the same: Lucca, Marle, Crono, and Robo interacted with each other while Glenn and Ayla seemed withdrawn. However, it came to a point where the fire began to die down.

"It seems as if we are losing heat..." Glenn said observantly.

"I'll go get more firewood." Crono answered quickly. Everyone watched him as he rose from his spot, his eyes not daring to look at Glenn and Ayla for an instant.

Marle had seen what happened. Crono grew wary of the suspicion and wanted to leave. However, it seemed to work against him.

A short time had passed before Glenn said resolutely, "Perhaps he doth need help. I shall assist him."

Marle moved to stop him as Glenn rose, but Robo shook his head in disagreement. She did not need Robo to hold her down again as Ayla rose only a minute after Glenn left.

Crono could feel a sense of alarm within himself. None of the preliminary senses told him what was coming. There was no sight of them, no sense of smell, no sound they made, but he knew that they were coming. He pretended as if he had no idea and set to work on the tree. He felled it with one swoop of his sword, causing it to crash to the ground in a mess of pine needles. He lopped off the thicker branches and grabbed onto a stump, dragging the tree toward the cave. It wasn't long until they were somehow walking by his side.

There was no exchanging of words as they walked side by side, but he could feel the anger within their hearts. He could feel the burning condemnation, yet he did not know what it could be. Or rather, he hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.

"Hast thou nothing to say?" Glenn nearly choked on his rage as he spoke.

"What do I need to speak on?" Crono said defensively, meaning to sound as if he were purposely avoiding the question.

Ayla put her hand on Crono's shoulder and squeezed it tight so that he did not move a step further. She regarded him with cold eyes, "Why did you tell us to stop fighting the Queen?"

They were getting warmer. "They had the men. What else was I supposed to do?"

"They had already slain a large number of them. They were prepared to die."

"Well, maybe I wasn't prepared for them to die, alright?" Crono said irritably. He turned about, grabbing the stump again. He was stopped by Glenn this time.

"But thou wert prepared...is that it?"

Crono's eyes widened. So they had found him out. But how? He was so careful not to tell anyone. He furrowed his brow in an effort to hide his surprise, "I don't see where you guys are going with this."

They both stood in front of him now, Ayla with her hands on her hips and Glenn with his arms folded and fists clenched. "To fight to the death is noble," Ayla began, "but to surrender to death is selfish."

Crono grit his teeth, "What is so selfish about it?"

The words received no answer, save for a gloved fist barreling into his face. Crono fell back into the snow, groaning as his own hand cradled his already reddened cheek. Ayla had stooped down by his side, an expression of worry on her face that had taken anger's place. Her hands tugged at his arm in an effort to pull him up, but he only allowed her to pull him to a sitting position. Meanwhile, Glenn, despite his short stature, towered over him menacingly. He cracked his knuckles and continued to glare. Crono gave him a condescending look and said with a sneer, "Do you feel better about yourself?"

"My rage doth burn brighter than ever." Glenn began to step forward, but was stopped by Ayla's hand.

Glenn looked at Ayla with a certain look of hurt and scoffed in disbelief. Ayla understood why and gave him a pleading look, as if she meant to apologize with her eyes. Glenn clenched his jaw as he held his tongue, but his newfound friendship with Ayla was not enough to hold back his frustration. He rounded on Crono, an accusatory finger pointing at him, "How could the very man who hath made me face my fears turn out to be such a damnable, selfish coward? How could a man who doth preach forgiving of one's own self find the nerve to allow the deaths of others to happen so that he may assuage his own guilt for failing his sister!"

Crono felt as if his insides were dunked in cold water, "You know about her?"

Glenn spat, "I knew the day thou convinced me to take up arms against Magus! Then I knew with a surety when I hath heard thy agonies in his fortress! I hath heard thee whimper in thy sleep! And even more so, I hath heard thy complaints to Gasper! I have experienced what thou hast, but I was never so damnably stupid as to offer my life up willingly! Especially to satisfy the guilt from thy failings! It is because of thy selfishness to atone for thy sins that those men are dead and that the queen lives!"

Crono jumped to his feet and glared back at Glenn who did not waver. Glenn arched his back and straightened his shoulders, but still only came up to Crono's chest. Nonetheless, the feeling of the punch was still with Crono and Glenn had already realized that he had lost control of himself. Crono began, his brow furrowed and his voice shaking, "You did not experience the same thing I did...you actually did something. You actually tried...So don't you tell me that you know how I feel! Cyrus is dead because he thought too much of himself! My sister is dead because I did nothing!"

Glenn growled, "Hast thou forgotten? Cyrus is dead because I said nothing!"

Crono felt hot tears sting his eyes, but did his best to hold them back. "I meant for the best...I didn't want it to happen the way it did. I just didn't want to lose anyone else..."

Ayla looked at him now and said softly, "But we would have lost you."

Crono half-laughed, half-sobbed as he shook his head. "It was a stupid idea, thinking back on it..." He was breathless as that realization came to him and he almost whispered, even prayed, "My God, what have I done?" His feet grew weak and he fell back into the snow.

Glenn cleared his throat for his voice was growing thick with emotion. "Thou hast tried to save the lives of those men, but thou hast done it for the wrong reasons...I know it because I have committed the same wrongs many times...you did not do it because it was the right thing to do, but thou hast done the thing because thou hast tried to force redemption when no one condemns thee except thyself."

Crono grit his teeth and said, "How could you know whose fault it is? You weren't there. All my life people had been telling me that it wasn't my fault, but it was! I don't care how many times you tell me, I could have done something!"

Glenn regarded him for a moment and nodded his head, "Perhaps that is the truth...thy actions could have prevented the untimely death of thy sister. Perhaps one small difference would have made the change needed. Perhaps, if I had said more, Cyrus would have changed and lived. And perhaps if Lucca hadn't been so eager to prove herself then we wouldn't even here. Perhaps if Marle had shown more love to her father we would be welcome in your own time. Perhaps if Ayla had spoken diplomatically to the Reptites instead of waiting for them to break their promise this whole disaster could have been avoided. Ifs, whens, what-could-have-beens; that is all they are, Crono. You cannot go back and change what has happened. Thou'rt cursed, as we all are, to experience our lives only once. Often times we are not ready for what awaits us, and in that way we are guilty of all that we do. We hesitate in the moments we need to act, we act when we should stay silent, and we sacrifice when none is necessary."

Ayla gave Glenn a smile and a nod. She rubbed Crono's back affectionately, "You must live with what your life gave you...not throw your life away."

Crono looked down and only one question was in his mind, "Does this mean that everyone knows about my sister? Even Robo?"

Glenn sighed, knowing the shame of having failures that cannot be hidden. He could imagine the heat of embarrassment slowly creeping its way into Crono's face at the thought that everyone knew his darkest secret. Glenn's happened to show as a permanent disfigurement for all to observe. He nodded slowly and said, "You may feel anger against those who know, but I promise that in time it will feel almost liberating. You may be angry with me, for I had told Ayla. Do not think for a moment that it was to anger thee. Ayla was sorely amazed that thou hast surrendered to the Queen and I hesitated to tell her many times. We spoke of times where we made commands to our followers. I, for a time, had a portion of Cyrus' army under my command. Ayla had led her people to war against the Reptites in times past. We know how it feels to lose men on account of bad decisions. But a good commander knows that if he perish, his soldiers perish. If his soldiers perish, his country doth perish. If the country perish, so doth the opposition to the foe. We cannot allow that to happen, and we cannot allow our own grievances to bring it about. Do you understand, Crono?"

He said nothing, but nodded glumly, guiltily, as if the words still hurt him.

Glenn walked to his side and with a deep breath, gripped his shoulder affectionately. "Let us return to the cave, eh? 'Tis cold and I greatly hunger..."

Glenn walked ahead, grabbing the tree by the stump of the branch. He dragged it along without asking Crono to assist him in the load. Crono could see that he did it by way of apology for losing his temper and hitting him. He smiled fondly at the small, but muscle knotted stature of his friend. It was rare to find friends so honest. His gaze turned to Ayla who stood over him with a smile and a hand outstretched. She yanked him off the ground and he landed on his feet. She smiled at him and hugged him. He returned it graciously and said, "Thank you for being the kind one. I'd hate to feel a punch from you."

She chuckled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He blushed and pushed his hair back while he smiled clumsily. "Definitely better than a punch," Crono joked.

To receive a kiss on the cheek in her culture, especially from a chieftain, was an act of tremendous respect and love. She was very thankful that he had not noticed that tradition during his tenure in her time.

Marle had been massaging her wrists to the point where they were becoming red. She could not help herself. She was nervous. Lucca was attending to Robo, even though she knew that he was in perfect condition. It was still something to do to pass the tense moments while they waited. Even Robo could find nothing to say at the moment. Of course, he knew what to say to somehow alleviate the burden that they felt, but for some strange reason he felt no reason to offer any comfort. It was only upon self-reflection later that he realized he did not do it because he felt none. He felt no need to lie.

Then, there was the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow. Marle nearly rose from her spot, but listened to Lucca who motioned for her to sit down and not appear anxious. Crono, Glenn, and Ayla came through the entrance, their shoulders covered in snow. They said nothing, but immediately set to work on the stump. Crono began chopping the tree into smaller logs while Glenn pulled any moisture from them. As Ayla stacked the fire it roared with a blazing heat that was a welcome relief from the cold outside. As they finished, Glenn patted Crono on the back and took a seat while Ayla nodded her head at him with a toothy smile. Robo had noticed her eyes shifted quickly from Crono to Marle and to Crono again. She tensed for a moment as if she wanted to pat him on the back as well, but stepped back to her sleeping bag instead.

"Alright guys," Crono began with a smile, "I have something to say, and I hope you guys will hear me out."

Glenn and Ayla gave each other uncomfortable glances, but held their peace.

"I know that everyone here has wondered why I let the queen get away...I'm sorry for what I had done. I had cost us a great opportunity, but I hope you guys will forgive me. I wasn't thinking straight and I lost sight of what we were here to do."

Lucca chuckled, "Crono, no worries. In all honesty, we might have done the same thing."

Crono gave Lucca a warm smile and she smiled in return. Crono said, "Even then, it is because of me that we lost. But we have another chance. I promise that I will never pass up the opportunity to do the right thing again. Not when there is so much at stake." He was silent for a moment as if he were hesitating. Then he said it: "There's no easy way to say this: I know you all know about my sister."

The worried silence in the room was palpable. Marle looked at Glenn and Ayla who hung their heads low. A tinge of jealousy came into her. Was she the only one who did not know? Was the faith and trust she eagerly wished for shared to others before her? Her hand went to her pendant and held it as she had done before she learned it was a piece of Lavos. Meanwhile, Lucca had tears in her eyes. This was a burden that she had carried silently with Crono since their younger years. There was a mixture of relief for Crono that he had found others to share his pain with, but sorrow that she was no longer his only shoulder to lean upon. Crono continued, "I want you all to know that what happened to me and my sister is very dear to me. I have never told anyone except for Lucca and her family." Crono strained his neck for a moment and breathed deep as he controlled his emotions. "I really don't know what else to say...I almost wish that nobody knew about my greatest regret except for me, but if I had to choose anyone to trust, it would be all of you."

"We will never speak of it unless you feel the need to do so." Robo said, "And that is a promise."

Everyone wordlessly agreed. Crono tried to smile to show the appreciation that he felt, but it looked melancholy and forced. "Well, let's go ahead and go to sleep."

Marle slept next to Crono. Actually, she did not sleep. She only lay next to him. She was wide awake.

It had been a common, reoccurring thing. Marle consciously made an effort to be next to Crono. Usually, she would be facing him as he slept and would get nearer to him as he slept. Sometimes she would remember to distance herself from him before everyone awoke so that nobody suspected anything, but other times she failed to do so and just blamed it on the fact that she tossed and turned in her sleep at night. Although she was next to him, she lay on her side with her back facing him. Her body was huddled and her eyes were slightly red from tears brought on by meaningless, vicious thoughts that continually popped into her head. Another worked its way into her mind, but it was stopped as she heard a shuffling noise behind her. She did not move from her spot as her arms hugged around herself tighter, her knees going further into her chest as if she were blocking out anything coming closer. She felt a hand rub at her back, causing her brow the crease in a frown.

"Don't touch me."

He obeyed. She could feel the hurt in him, but a part of her almost enjoyed it. "Let him feel hurt." She thought to herself.

She could tell by the sound he made that he shifted his weight onto his right elbow, "Talk to me..." he whispered. "Please..."

The fierce vengeance she felt was immediately replaced with guilt, but she said nothing. However, his hand began to caress the back of her head, his fingers gracing through her silky blond hair. Her spine shivered and her breathing became more rapid. Crono scooted closer so that he could whisper in her ear, and said even quieter, "I want us to be able to talk about anything. I want you to be able to tell me what is upsetting you."

"You should know what is upsetting me..." Marle said, trying to avoid the subject.

"I have an idea..." Crono said, his voice showing no signs of pleading or anger. He sounded as if he were merely musing.

Marle turned to face him. The fire had died down so that only a faint, blue silhouette could be seen of him. She did not lean on her elbow, but looked up at him from the ground with furrowed eyes. "And what do you think it is?"

"You are wondering if I told the others about my sister before I told you..."

Marle could feel herself blushing as he hit on the nerve. A hand brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear as she said, "No. I don't care who you told first."

She froze as Crono reached for her face with his left hand, the palm resting on her jaw, the thumb moving slowly back and forth on her cheek. "Even then, I just want you to know that besides Lucca, you were the one I told first and that because I was able to tell you I knew I could tell everyone. You made me stronger, and because of you I could finally come free of it."

Her eyes softened, her face flushed, and she bit on her bottom lip. She was silent a moment longer and said with some hesitation, "You were right. That is what bothered me."

"I know." Crono said with a smile.

"How?" She asked, with a soft giggle. Her hand gripped his wrist as he still held her face.

"I just knew." Crono said with a smile. And to Marle's surprise, he gave her a kiss.

She melted underneath his kiss and sighed in content. They separated, but still stared at each other. She waited for him to return with another kiss and was a little disappointed when he laid back down. Nonetheless, she smiled now and felt no more animosity. Crono watched as she slowly fell asleep. After her eyes closed and stirred no more underneath their lids, her grip slackened. He gave her a tender kiss on her hand and went back to sleep.

To the reader I say: how strange it is that a simple acknowledgement of pain or a kind word ends the most destructive arguments when it is done with sincerity! How quickly anger turns to love when one returns kindness when he or she received none! Crono could see from the peaceful way she slept that it bothered her no more.

The woods grew thicker until the occasional brush against a fir tree was unavoidable. The directions they received from the gurus were of no importance, seeing that the coordinates were more than enough. Robo still led the way, telling the party that it was only five miles further or three miles further. As they grew to a single mile they began to see footprints that were almost hidden by the snow. Another set of tracks showed a few men dragging something like a beast they had hunted through the snow. Even within the forests there were the occasional leaves of fruit plants that had quickly frozen over.

"Interesting..." Lucca said, "the cultivation didn't happen that long ago...There must be magic users here as well...It seems that some of our friends made it out of Zeal alive."

Crono nodded in affirmation. "I think the prophets made it out alive...I can feel it."

They walked further and further until they stood at the mouth of a cave. The wind was stopped within the trees of the forest, so no droves of snow or howling gale penetrated the cave. Therefore, the torches that were lined up against the wall did not flicker or show any sign of dying out. Ayla smiled brightly and approached the fire. She removed the hood from her head, shook her hair free of any snow flakes and held her hands up to the flame. She frowned in confusion as she felt no warmth from the fire. She slowly inched closer, thinking that it was a weak fire, but then she allowed the flames to lick her hand. They did not burn or consume her. "Strange fire! It does not give warmth!"

Robo was intrigued and inspected it, "That is interesting...there is no ignition, no consuming of the fuel, but only light. I believe it is magic or enchanted fire. They must use it for light."

Ayla fumed and crossed her arms, "What good is fire if it no keep you warm?"

"Well, if you would be willing, perhaps I can help you with that."

The party turned unanimously, and all smiled when they saw Balthazar and Gasper standing before them.

The caves were unnaturally made. It was the first Earthbounders who made their homes here many years ago. Having sought refuge, they came to this hidden cave within the mountains. In the beginning there were several people who knew magic that assisted in the deed. They had moved most of the earth needed to form and wash these caverns smooth. Notwithstanding their inability to control the elements, the Earthbounders joined in on the responsibility and formed tunnels where they could and ladders that led up to large holes in the walls. Within those holes would be a single family living in a space that was large enough to hold them, yet small enough to trap heat within their simple hovel. Marle felt a pang of maternal sorrow for a few ragged children who poked there heads out from the hollows. Notwithstanding their suffering, they beamed at her and waved cheerfully. She managed a smile and returned the gesture.

"You think they are suffering, but they are probably happier here than they would be in Zeal." Lucca said, already knowing the thoughts that were circling about Marle's head.

"I suppose you are right...but it is still hard to see them like this...forced to hide in a cave when they could be living carefree and running around outside..."

Balthazar held up a hand and said optimistically, "Eventually, my dear, eventually."

Crono, who had been silent, found the words to speak. "The mission did not go well." He thought for a moment to ask what the results were, but the guilt of it already nagged at his heart. Therefore, his second question became his first: "What do we do now?"

Gaspar nodded while stroking his mustache. "That is a very good question. We ourselves do not know, but we do know that when we are gathered together we can divine what may happen next. Therefore, to know our next move, we must save Melchior from Mount Woe."

Robo thought for a moment, "I know that name. You mentioned it when Schala pleaded for you not to assassinate her mother. You said it was enchanted...What do you mean?"

A familiar voice, or rather, familiar voices that spoke in unison, cut off the gurus. "It is a flying fortress...that is how it is enchanted."

Gasper and Balthazar smiled, "Ah, Masa and Mune...so good of you to come and visit our friends."

"It was getting," said Masa. "Really boring..." finished Mune.

The party grinned. Glenn could not help but wonder as he scanned the massive cavern with his eyes. "Where be the third? Where art thy sister?"

Masa and Mune hung their heads low and said nothing.

Gaspar cleared his throat, "After they captured you they kept a guard out for any suspicious behavior. They captured one of our agents that would have escorted you out if things had gone wrong. They tortured him, made him speak, and then killed him when they discovered his information was correct. They sent a legion to our hideout and killed everyone inside...however, under the prophet's command they took Doreen hostage."

"But why?" asked Ayla.

Balthazar shook his head in dismay, "There are so many things that we do not know right now. We are so hopelessly lost. Who are we, to guide these sheep? What horrible shepherds are we?"

Lucca clapped a hand on his shoulder and said with a wide grin, "Hey, don't lose that happy-go-lucky optimism or else even I could go depressed. Weren't you the one who told me 'anything can be improved upon?'"

Crono and Marle had to fight to keep themselves from laughing as this comment drew a blank look from Balthazar's face. Of course he wouldn't know if he said that or not. Put simply, he hadn't said it yet. Those were the words he used when he helped them in the future. How strange it is that such torturous times do wonders to cheer up the soul in retrospect!

Their contained smiles were contagious save to Masa and Mune who were still in no mood to be cheerful. Gaspar cleared his throat and continued, "Mount Woe was constructed many years ago. It was the first attempt to create Zeal, but the method behind it was not powerful enough. Upon the mountain is a giant lodestone that works like a magnet. Although it could lift the mountain into the air, there were many problems...Unless bound to the earth, the lodestone would carry the mountain higher and higher. Also, the the lodestone only affected upward movement. Had it not been for the giant chain binding it to the ground, the mountain would have soared among the clouds with no direction. However, the old kingdom did serve a useful purpose...it did get our people close enough to the sky to develop the sun stone."

"But I thought that you had created it." Crono said incredulously.

"What? Who told you that?"

"The prophet said that you had worked on the sun stone when he led us from Zeal."

Balthazar waved a hand dismissively, "No, no, no...you misunderstood. The sun stone had been a source of power for many years. I did not create it. I was working on various applications of its energy." He coughed into his hand to gain attention again and continued. "The mountain was already afloat and presented a problem. We could have let it loose, but we ran the risk of the mountain somehow being overturned while it soared. Should that have happened, it would have plummeted to the ground who knows where. We could not take the lodestone from the mountain or destroy it without the person suffering death while they descended from the mountain...and even if we did find a way to steady the mountain and let it go afloat, there was a strong possibility that it would eventually collide with Zeal. Therefore, we left the mountain to billow in the winds for eternity..."

Gasper added, "And it stayed there until there was another need for it..."

"Ah," Balthazar said with a nod, "how could I forget? It wasn't until the reign of our dearly departed king that the mountain found use again. The mountain had become a prison for those who fought against his administration. It's inaccessibility made it a very difficult journey for any who wished to free its prisoners. There are no bars nor is there a fortress of metal or brick...the entire mountain itself is a dangerous death trap. The winds are unceasing and the mountain moves and sways with the wind. Only the strongest and most persistent of men can reach the top."

"So how do they take the prisoners to the mountain?"

"Naturally, they take the Queen's most gifted guards to travel on the mountain. The lodestone has a strange effect on those who try to will themselves there. We do not know if it is because of any gravitational pull, but it creates a hazard for those who try to warp upon the mountain. In the ancient days, when they first tried it, many never returned. However, when they sent parties to look for the victims, they would find them with their bodies mangled and, in some cases, their skulls being crushed." The mental image made Lucca shiver. "However, it has very little bearing upon metals that are not conductive to magnetism. Certain classes of aluminum, for example, can nearly approach the peak of Mount Woe until the pull from the stone becomes a problem. However, there is another problem..."

"And that is...?"

"Dalton..." Balthazar said with a grim smile. "Once he was my student and he was eager to please me. While I constructed flying machines to approach the mountain, there would still be an occasional life lost during the trek to the pinnacle. He deduced that approaching the peak would be easy if there were a way to move the lodestone before we would dock at the mountain. Not only that, he wished to develop a guardian of the mountain. Therefore, he created the Giga Gaia..."

"What is that?"

Ayla nodded in understanding and said, "I know that meaning...it means 'bearer of the stone'."

Balthazar laughed, "And quite literally that is all he does. He is operated by a signal and he moves away from the peak until they leave so that they can land on the peak. Not only that, Dalton used this machine as a way to show his prowess in creating weapons. He is a formidable creation. He is made not of steel or metal, but of a very solid clay."

"Clay?" Ayla laughed, "That is not a problem. I think we will be fine. He will break easy!" She pounded her fist into an open palm to demonstrate how it would be done.

Lucca stopped her jubilation, "I think you better hold back on that enthusiasm. In your time clay is used to make jars that shatter when you drop them. There were many advances since then. I had used clay in some of my experiments a few years back. Given the right chemicals and proper kilning, clay can be four times as strong as steel and only half the weight."

"And that was the reasoning behind his construction of the Giga Gaia...a monstrous being who is nearly impregnable, who is not conducive to magnetism, and is ever vigilant."

Glenn shook his head in annoyance, "And I assume that Melchior is kept on the very pinnacle of the mountain, is it not so surely?"

Gaspar nodded and Glenn laughed ironically.

"But, there is a question as to how we are going to descend." Glenn protested, "for I assume that the Giga Gaia doth guard the man whom we wish to liberate. To free Melchior, we must slay him, and to slay him we must destroy the lodestone. We shall plummet to our deaths."

A strong willed voice spoke from behind them, "Not if I can help it. I'm coming with you."

The party turned and faced Schala. She was dressed in thick furs suited to travel in the tundra. Her eyes flashed fiercely and she regarded them with a determined grin.

Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoyed this. Feel free to make the usual comments or critiques. The next one should be pretty good. Finally, a full fleshed action scene. It's been a while.