Chapter XXIII
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Zeal Palace was a ghost town. Not a single soul, or a Nu guard for that matter, could be seen. Being night, it was dark, and only candles lit the palace. Following Melchior instructions, they found the hall to the Mammon Machine.
The hall was brightly lit with more candles, and paintings hung on the walls. Crono noticed one of Schala, Janus, Zeal, and another blue haired man, right away. Crono assumed it was the father....and he looked vaguely familiar. Frog also looked studied the man for a moment, but continued on. Other beautiful paintings could also be seen, many of them of Schala in the stages of her life. Marle was the one to point at the painting of the three Gurus of Zeal. Crono recognized Belthasar, a disturbing thought considering he only saw him as a corpse, standing in the painting, while two others stood on either side. Melchior was on the right, while another old man stood to the left. He guessed it was Gasper, the Guru Melchior mentioned in the cave.
The group silently entered the chambers of the Mammon Machine. Even Ayla was keeping quiet. The room was empty of course, the Mammon Machine already being transported to the Ocean Palace.
"Is this the right room?" asked Lucca, looking around the vacant area.
Robo wondered around the room, his eye glowing red as a sign of scanning.
"Master Crono! There is a disturbance over by this wall!"
Crono walked over to Robo. Nothing happened. Marle followed, and instantly a purple gateway appeared.
"I believe this gateway leads to the Ocean Palace," said the combat robot.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Crono allowed everyone to pass though the gateway. Marle was last.
"I have a bad feeling..." she said.
"It'll be fine. We go in together, we come out together." He took her hand, and they stepped into the portal.
The trip to the Ocean Palace was instantaneous. There was no way of knowing if they really were underwater, because not a window was present. The structure of the Ocean Palace was much different than Zeal. Instead of purple and silver, black a tan ruled the Palace. Crono noticed a small figure dancing in the distance.
The being danced closer; it was one of the sword children! The child stopped prancing and his large ear twitched.
"The black energy grows. Somethin' bad is `bout to wake up..." he said.
The room shook for a second, then stopped.
"Hurry!" said the sword child, and he pointed up a stairway. "Go up! Up!"
Crono instantly burst into a full run, and the other followed. The stair lead into a series of twisting halls, bridges, and even more stairs. Every few moments the ground shook, growing stronger each time. At one point Lucca tripped, but Robo was there to carry her the rest of the way.
The seemingly never-ending halls ending into a large room. The floor was circle shaped, which was an island on a large body of water. The ceiling was a grand bubble. Crono saw fishes and other marine life swimming above them. It was quite awesome.
The unmistakable figure of Dalton stood in the center of the room.
"You!" he shouted. "I have no time for this! Lavos awaits me!" He turned around and began to walk toward a large doorway. But he turned back to Ayla. "Want to join me?" He winked.
"Ayla-la-la-la!" screamed Ayla and she ran toward Dalton. She tackled the Captain and pinned him.
"Arg! Let go, you Earthbound vermin!"
The cave woman lifted Dalton over her head.
"Huh? What! Hey! Stop that!"
Ayla flung the annoying Dalton into the pool of water bordering the bubble room. The Captain made a large splash.
"Help! Help me!" screamed Dalton, kicking. "I- I can't swim! Ahhhhhhh! Somebody! Ack....*glub* Help!"
Crono laughed. "Good job."
Ayla crossed her arms. "Ayla have mate."
They entered the large doors and were in the chambers of the Mammon Machine.
***
"Mother no!" cried Schala. "This is enough! Look what happend to Jan...!"
"Silence child!" Zeal stretched out her arms and a wave of purple energy stuck Schala. "Prophet! Turn the Mammon Machine to full power!" Her voice echoed in the large room.
The Prophet nodded, taking a quick look at the Princess. "Of course."
Crono and the others stayed near the entrance as the Prophet turned a dial on the Mammon Machine. The room began to shake even more. The Prophet noticed Crono as he turn his attention back to Schala.
"What?" How...." he said.
"You again," yelled the Queen. "Why can't that idiot Dalton do anything right?!"
Schala got back to her feet. "Mother, please....stop this...." With another flip of Zeal's wrist, the Princess was back on the ground. The Mammon Machine began to glow red.
"Quick Crono!" cried Lucca. "The knife!"
Crono took the Red Knife from his pocket. He sprinted toward the Mammon Machine. Using the Prophets back as a boost, he leapt to the top of the machine and jammed the knife into it. When he landed, the Prophet grabbed his arms.
"Ha!" yelled the Queen. "That little thing will NEVER....huh?"
Sparks flew from the Mammon Machine. The knife glowed red.
"Let's go big brother!" said a child's voice, like an echo.
"That's right! Let's make Mister Melchior proud!"
The Knife stopped glowing, and a large sword took shape in its place.
"T, tis the....Masamune!" said Frog. The room stopped shaking.
The Queen laughed. "You're still to late, you peasants! The Mammon Machine has already absorbed enough of Lavos power! You did nothing but slow me down." The room shook again. "You will pay for your actions. Lavos awakens!"
At that moment, time seemed to slow down, and the entire room transformed into a blue and white vortex. A crack appeared in the ground...and a second later a large, gray spike appeared from it. With tremendous power, like a rock being thrown though glass, Lavos emerged from the ground. Everyone was thrown backward as the four story beast shot from the ground…all except for Zeal, who floated above the ground, safe from harm.
On the ground, Crono looked around him. Marle laid by his side, and Lucca seemed to be thrown over him. He noticed Frog, Robo and Ayla scattered around the floor, as well as Schala and the Prophet. None of them were moving. Neither could he. He was in pain, not from the fall, but from a sensation of electricity running though his body. A long moment later, the pain ceased, but he could hardly move. He looked up; the large beak of Lavos was wide open, screeching. Zeal was perched on top a flat spot on its massive body. She was screaming with delight!
Crono tried to stand, but Lucca was weighing his weak body down. He saw something move. The Prophet stood up and staggered toward Lavos.
"I survived the darkness for you Lavos," he said. "Now it's time for my revenge."
The Prophet removed his cloak to revel a head of long, silver blue hair. Crono heard a low voice behind him. "-ribbit-... Ma---gus...."
"Ahhh...." said the Queen atop Lavos. "A false prophet."
Magus drew his scythe. "Prepare yourself for the void Lavos! Aaaaaahhhh!!!"
Magus' weapon glowed red. He rose a good eight feet off of the ground to meet Lavos' beak. The scythe hit the beak hard, colored sparks flying.... Lavos screamed with a brief pain, but it remained uneffected.
"What..." cried Magus. He held his stomach. "No! My.....powers are...being....drained..."
Zeal thrust her hands at Magus and he was thrown to the ground mere feet away from Crono.
Crono looked around to his friends. Frog and Robo were now sitting, but doing little else.
"Now Crono," said Zeal, "watch your friends suffer." She raised an arm and those around him began to roll and scream with pain. His own body seemed unaffected; the true torture.
"No....."
Crono pushed the shaking Lucca off his chest and got to his feet. It was hard to stand, but Crono began to walk toward Lavos. He felt an energy flow though his arms as he filled his body with magic. His arms began to sting, but he continued toward Lavos. At that point Crono would normally let loose a blast of lightning, but he continued to gather power. His eyes burned as his surroundings turned black and white. The pain was great, but Crono reached the base of Lavos.
Crono raised from the ground, his arms outstretched. White lighting sprung from his person. It grew brighter and brighter. He reached Queen Zeal.
"CRONO NO!" he heard a female voice cry. But it was too late. Crono let loose a tremendous serge of energy. Zeal's face filled with fright.
Images flashed before Crono eyes. He saw his Father, his Mother, a much younger Lucca fiddling with some machine parts, even one of his cats. The last thing Crono remembered was an image of Marle, looking as beautiful and bold as ever. Then there was nothing. Nothing at all.
Chapter XXIV
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When Marle awoke, her head was throbbing and her bones ached. She looked around; she was back in the Ocean Palace. Frog was holding her head up. Marle stood. All the others were gathered around Schala. The entire place was shaking violently. Then she remembered.
"Crono!"
"There is not time!" cried Schala. She waved her hands and a purple gate way appeared. "Everyone inside."
Ayla and Frog entered the gate, followed by Lucca and Robo. Schala guided Magus into the gate, who seemed not to be aware on what was going on around him. The Palace shook harder.
"We have to wait for Crono!" said Marle.
The Princess lowered her head. "Crono, didn't make it."
"What?!"
"His brave sacrifice was enough of a distraction. Quickly!" She fell to her knees. "I...cannot hold it open much longer."
"But..."
"Please!"
The gateway began to shrink. Marle dived into it just as it closed. She felt uneasy as she traveled though the portal. Something was wrong. She wasn't going anywhere. Marle felt like she was being suspended in mid air.
She was right. Marle looked around her. Outside the purple haze was the ocean below her and the Zeal Island above in the night sky. She didn't notice any of the others with her.
In the distance, Marle saw the ocean part. With a tremendous splash, Lavos rose from the sea. The same red energy that blasted from the Arris Dome video began to emanate form its spines. The sky shone red. The blast struck the island of Zeal. Explosion riddled the mass, and after a moment, the island began to fall. Faster and faster it fell, until it struck the once calm sea.
As the island plummeted into the ocean, a gigantic tidal wave arose around it. In horror, Marle watched as the wave stuck the man land, devastating the Earthbound Village. She closed her eyes.
"No...."
When she opened them, the purple haze was much lighter. It instantly disappeared.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Marle began to plunge toward the earth. The ground below her was getting larger and larger. She didn't notice at first the object flying toward her. But as it got closer, she recognized it at once. The Epoch was speeding to her rescue!
Despite the fact she was falling, the Epoch positioned itself below her. The machine's dome opened. A strong metal rope quickly wrapper around her, and she was pulled in. Robo retracted the rope, which returned to his arm. The Epoch flew off, just meters from the ground.
***
"Crono..." sobbed Marle near the campfire in the remains of the Earthbound Village. Lucca put her arm over her shoulder.
Lucca took of her glasses and wiped away a tear. "He was like a brother to me...."
"It seems Princess Schala also.....didn't..." she trailed off.
Frog approached the two. "Now is not the time to grieve. We have much to do."
Marle stood up, and met the face of Captain Dalton.
"Boo!"
"You!" shouted Ayla. She charged, but Dalton sent a energy blast into her chest. A dozen guards surround the campsite. Both surviving Enlightened and Earthbound Ones were sent into a circle.
Dalton fiddled his fingers. "Heh. I might not be immoral, but Lavos sure did increase my Magic a bit! Ha!" He turned to the crowd. "With those pesky Gurus gone, now I'M free to rule! I rename this land the Kingdom of Dalton! Hail, to your new leader, Emperor Dalton of the Kingdom of...Dalton....Blast! That sounds foolish...Hmmm I'll have to think up a new name..." Then he turned to Marle and the others. "As for you, I want to pay you back for throwing me into a pool!"
Dalton made a silly stance and Marle blacked out.
***
When she awoken she and the others were in a large, gray room. A loud, continental roar was heard in the background. "Where are we?" asked Marle. The room shook.
"I believe we are, flying," said Robo.
"Impossible!"
Marle noticed a small window besides her. She peered out. "Oh!" She turned away. "We're...flying!"
"Is this, the Blackbird Aeroplane?" said Robo. "Belthasar always talked about it."
Ayla was banging on the only door in the room, trying to open it with all her might.
"Hey!" said Lucca. "My gun is gone!"
"So is my crossbow!"
"And the Masamune as well. Calm down, my fellows," said Frog. "An escape route is sure to be found. Ah." He pointed to a vent near the ceiling. "See?"
Ayla hurried to the vent and jumped up, but couldn't reach. She motioned to Lucca and lifted her up. One by one they entered the vent. It was cold. Robo stated they were in the cooling system, but Marle didn't know what he was talking about.
"Marle!" stated Robo. "I am picking up the Epoch on scanners! It is near the rear of the Blackbird!"
"We must retrieve your weaponry first if we wish to liberate it." Frog looked down another vent leading to a hallway. A pair of masked men were guarding the door to their now empty room. "It's no doubt in storage."
"Ayla look. Ayla good smell."
Ayla opened the vent, grabbed either side, and slowly lowered herself. The cave woman carefully positioned her leg behind one of the guard's head, wound up, and booted him hard, knocking him unconscious. With that, she leapt down, and head butted the remaining guard. Ayla started to sniff his arm, and slowly walked down the hall.
"We shall follow," said Frog.
The four followed Ayla above her. Ayla was smart, and avoided the guards, instead of attacking them. After searching the hall for several moments, she pointed to a door. Marle opened a near by vent which lead to that room. A sleeping guard laid against a wall in the small room, and she could clearly make out their weapons laying on a table.
"We need to be quiet," whispered Lucca.
"I'll go," said Marle. "I can be light on my feet."
With some grace, Marle landed softly on the ground. 'Hey!" she thought. "All that Princess ballet training is paying off." The sleeping guard was snoring loudly.
She tiptoed across the room to the table. She reached for the Masamune first, to hand to Frog. He picked it up, lifted it a few inches off the table, and dropped the heavy sword. The Masamune made a loud thud as in landed back on the table.
"Wha..." The guard woke up. "Hey you! Stop right there!" The guard lowered a white mask over his face and drew a long pole. "How'd you get out." He was within a few feet of Marle.
"Yoohoo!" said Lucca from above. "Up here!"
"What?" The guard looked up.
Marle quickly grabbed her crossbow and slammed into the side of the man's head.
"Oof!" The guard fell to the ground.
Lucca, Frog and Robo jumped out of the vent. Marle opened the room to let Ayla in.
"At last!" boomed a voice. "The flying machine is ready for flight!"
Lucca looked around. "Who said that?"
"It is coming from the other side of this wall," said Robo. "It is Emperor Dalton."
"He's not really the Emperor, Robo,." said Marle, rolling her eyes.
"But I distinctly heard him state that he was."
"Silence," said Frog. "We may eavesdrop."
"Hmmm...it looks just like the machine Belthasar was building... oh well. It's mine now!" said Dalton. "Ha! What should I name by royal chariot? I know! The 'Aero-Dalton Imperial!' It has a ring to it and tells that its owner is grand and strong! Time for a test drive, and use those people below me as target practice! Aero-Dalton Imperial, engage!" Nothing happened. "Huh...Curses. Hey, somebody fix this thing!"
"Robo!" cried Lucca. "Brake this wall down."
"I will vandalize personal..."
"NOW!"
"Ummm...of course."
Robo punched the wall, creating a good sized hole. Dalton, inside the Epoch, turned toward them.
"Arg! I should have killed them when I had the chance. Guards, kill...oh oh...never mind..it's working now! So long!"
The doors to the hanger opened, and the guards we sucked out into the night sky. The Epoch lifted from the ground.
"Everyone hang on to me. I have a idea," said Robo.
The others did as they were told. Robo took his right arm and pointed toward the Epoch. His arm shot out of the arm and grabbed hold of the Epoch, which jetted out of the hanger. A blue field surrounded the drone as they flew through space, and Marle somehow was able to hang on tighter. Slowly but surely, Robo pulled himself near the Epoch's dome and forced it open. The others fell into the seat behind Dalton.
"What! Get out of here you commoners!" He yelled above the roaring wind. Dalton stood up. "Now I'm gonna kill ya for real!...woah..." He wobbled to keep his balance. "Huh!?" The wind caught Dalton's cape and he was blown away, screaming as he fell to the earth. Robo closed the dome.
Lucca took the pilot's seat. "All the controls are different! I don't know how to fly it."
Robo looked at the controls. "Try this one."
Lucca pressed a button, and a pair of wipers flew across the dome's front. "Wrong one." She tried another. To see laser fire came from the Epoch's underside. "Oops."
The laser cut though the nearby Blackbirds wing.. The Aeroplane began to lose altitude. Lucca pressed the button again, this time hitting the body of the plane. It burst into flames.
"Woooo!" cried Marle. "It's gone!"
Lucca quickly gained control of the Epoch and flew it to a safe distance. "Back to the village," she said, and piloted it back to the mainland.