Chapter 9: Samurai Crono
They reached Exan's Creek by sundown and met up with the rest of the force. Most of the army was camped in the forest outside the town, and among the fires and tents the air was thick with the nervousness that always came before a battle. Ketiya wandered through the camp, trying to find the three kids. She was supposed to stay with them, but Jack was with them and she had been avoiding him all day. She'd been so curt with him yesterday morning, so out-and-out horrible, that she could hardly stand herself most of the time. And when she was near him, she couldn't stand herself at all, she wanted the earth to swallow her up. He didn't really love her – she could deal with that. But after what she had done, he didn't even like her anymore.
Don't think about that. Get down to business.
"Have you seen a human boy, about yea high, with red hair?" she asked a group of soldiers gathered around a campfire. They shook their heads and mumbled apologies. With a sigh, she continued her search.
~***~
"Y'know, for military rations, this stuff isn't so bad," Marle remarked as she chewed on a piece of jerked meat. Jack forced himself to eat his own dinner – he had not had much of an appetite since yesterday morning, but prudence and experience directed him to eat anyway. He was used to not knowing where his next meal would come from.
Lucca laughed on the other side of the campfire. "Well, we've eaten worse. Remember the lizard?" She grinned mischievously.
"Oh yes. I remember the lizard," Crono said, rolling his eyes heavenward. "How could I forget?"
Jack felt that he knew the three well enough to ask "What about this lizard?"
"Well," Lucca began, "Remember we told you about Ayla?" Jack nodded. "Anyway, at the party she threw for us, they had this fruit drink…"
"Lucca! Don't tell him!" Crono exclaimed desperately, throwing his hands up in the air.
Lucca continued anyway. "It had alcohol in it, but we didn't know. Anyway, Crono drank a lot of mphhh!" This last because Crono had put his hand over her mouth to stop her.
But Marle picked up where she had left off, grinning from ear to ear. "We all drank a lot of it and got kind of tipsy, and then one of the tribesmen dared Crono to eat a…"
"Ack! Shutupshutupshutup!" Crono insisted as Lucca twisted out of his grip. He tried to capture her again but she managed to evade him.
"…A live lizard! And he..."
But Jack never got to hear the rest of the story, because at that point Captain Maelwar stepped out of the trees to join them. Her eyes fell on Crono and Lucca. Though her gaze could not really be called disapproving, there was something in it that made the two of them decide to stop chasing each other and sit down by the fire again, looking very sheepish and muttering greetings to her. Jack kept himself from laughing at the whole situation, as it would have been a very inappropriate thing to do. Instead, he stood up and bowed to the Captain, who saluted him and took a seat by the fire. Jack sat down again as well.
"Good evening, all. I have come to discuss our plans for tomorrow." She looked around. "Where's Ketiya?"
"Over here, ma'am." Ketiya stepped out from among the trees off to the side. Her presence put him on edge, especially since she had appeared so suddenly. He did not look directly at her, for he did not think he could bear to meet her eyes.
Captain Maelwar looked from Ketiya to him and back. "Sergeant, I must speak to you for a few moments." There was some anger in her voice, and something else that Jack could not quite grasp. Ketiya nodded to the Captain, looking more than a little nervous.
Maelwar turned back to the others. "We'll be back in a few minutes," she assured them. She and Ketiya walked out of sight and out of earshot to have their conversation.
Crono, Marle and Lucca exchanged glances with each other, but none of them looked at Jack. The joviality of a minute ago was replaced by uncomfortable silence. Jack looked down at the ground in front of him and waited out the endless minutes before Maelwar and Ketiya returned.
"Crono, Marle, Lucca," Malewar addressed them, "I am going to take you to see Captain Dioth, who will be commanding the left flank infantry. Get your things together." Her tone of voice brooked no argument, and the three youths did as she said.
Marle looked from Jack to Ketiya. "Good luck tomorrow," she said softly, "And if something happens…thanks for everything." She joined Lucca and Crono at Captain Maelwar's side.
"Bye," Lucca said simply. Crono just nodded at Ketiya, then at Jack, before they left with the Captain.
Jack risked a glance at Ketiya, who looked after the departing group for a few moments. Then she turned and looked directly at Jack. He wanted very much to look away, but he forced himself not to. Much to his relief, Ketiya gave in first. She lowered her eyes, ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "We need to talk," she said, as if she had to struggle with each word. She sat down by the fire in the place that Lucca had occupied, a little to his right. Feeling a mixture of hope and apprehension, he shifted to face her. The firelight flickered strangely in her eyes.
"We're supposed to work together tomorrow, on the right infantry flank," she told him. "But we can't go into battle together if we can't even talk to each other." She looked at the fire for a moment, then back at him. "I'm sorry I snapped at you yesterday. The…the other night was my fault as much as yours. We can't…" She shut her eyes as if she were in pain. "I'm sorry for being so childish about it."
Jack took a few moments to form his response. "I forgive you, but I must ask that you forgive me as well. I did not mean to hurt you." She opened her eyes again. He did not feel so uncomfortable meeting her gaze this time. "I would like for us to be friends again." That was actually less than ideal, but the circumstances were far from ideal; it was simply the best option for both of them.
Ketiya regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, the light and shadows moving over her face with the flickering of the campfire. Then she smiled. "And so would I. So that's it – just like old times."
They shook hands on it, although Jack knew that, though they had mended their friendship, it could never be quite the same as it once was.
~***~
Marle and her friends had spent the night camped with Captain Dioth's infantry division. It was now midmorning, and they had not seen Jack or Ketiya since last night. Captain Maelwar had said that the two would be in the right flank division. Marle had thought that Ketiya would be grouped with the other Rangers, but the Captain had decided to have Ketiya aid the samurai instead, although she did not say why.
There was a strange smell in the air, an unpleasant smell, that Marle could not identify. But she knew what it was when she saw distant plumes of smoke twisting into the sky. It was a big fire, or the aftermath of one, which meant that they were getting close. Marle held her crossbow in a tight grip.
Eventually, the army arrived at the scene of the devastation. A great swath of land had been razed, everything on it burned to the ground. The smell of charcoal was almost unbearable, and the blackened ground left stains on everyone's shoes and trousers. The army changed formation, spreading out into lines now that they had the space. Marle and her friends went with the sergeant that they had been assigned to.
"This is making me nervous," Crono confided to her through gritted teeth. "Why haven't we been attacked already?"
Lucca frowned at him. "That's a good thing. We have time to get ready for them."
"What I'm worried about," Crono said, "Is that they may be getting ready for us."
~***~
The watchtower of Fort Kulewan was still standing – from it, Grehk could see the aiewan army massing on the edge of the burned land far away. He turned to his aide-de-camp, a misshapen creature with a forked tongue. "Tell the troops to get ready. Today we will slay for our Lord, and feast on the flesh of our enemies."
"Yessss, massster," the aide replied, before he slithered down the ladder to the ground below.
Grehk spread his great wings, launched himself off the tower and circled over his troops, watching as they readied themselves for the assault. Some other flying demons rose into the air to join him. They were all eager for battle, and Grehk in particular was eager to battle the warriors that were causing his master so much trouble. He would see to their destruction personally.
~***~
On the right flank of the aiewan army, behind the lines of archers and cavalry, Ketiya pointed at something in the distance. "Look. There they are." She fitted an arrow to her bow.
Jack peered in the direction she had indicated. Because the demons of Aku's army were as black as the burned land they marched on, he had a difficult time seeing them at first. He gripped the hilt of his sword, though it would be a while before he had to draw it.
"I'm going to join the line of archers up front, but I'll rejoin you after the cavalry charge," Ketiya informed him. "You never know, the extra bow might help."
"Are you sure that we will be able to find each other again?" He knew that she could take care of herself, but the thought of being separated from her during the battle still worried him.
She grinned at him. "It won't be a problem," she said, "As long as you wait for me." Jack nodded and Ketiya went to the front line.
The army of demons was closing in quickly. It was not long before Jack could hear their roaring and screeching. He wanted to rush forward to meet them, but he knew that he had to be patient and wait for the proper time. But it seemed to take an eternity before the gap between the two armies was small enough for the battle to begin in earnest.
Wait for it…
When the demons were two hundred feet from the front lines, a battle horn sounded in the distance. The Rangers on the front lines drew back their bowstrings, creating a symphony of creaks. The horn sounded again, and though Jack was too far from the front line to hear the twanging of the bowstrings he heard the whoosh as a hundred archers loosed their arrows. He watched as the shafts arced into the air and fell among the advancing demons, generating a series of ear-splitting, painful shrieks. The aiewan certainly had the advantage now, because they were equipped with long-range weapons, but they would not have it for much longer – in close combat, Aku's monsters would likely gain the upper hand.
Not yet…
In the meanwhile, however, the Rangers were using their bows as much as they could. They fired a second time, a little more raggedly than before. Jack was able to make out some of the individual demons now. Some of them were larger versions of the imps he had seen in the forest before, but there were many other kinds as well, many worse kinds.
Patience…
The flying beasts that had been circling over the demon army suddenly shot forward through the air and dove at their enemies. Most of the Rangers were still reloading their bows, so while they managed to shoot down some of the creatures, many of them wreaked havoc among the cavalry and infantry gathered at the rear. The mounted soldiers and spearmen lifted their weapons to repel the airborne assault; Jack drew his own sword and leaped into the air, surprising (and dispatching) some giant insect-like beast that had tried to dive straight toward him. It vanished in a puff of black smoke as his sword cleaved through it. Others were not so quick or fortunate as he, and a number of demons managed to sink talons and teeth into flesh before they could be killed. But the ranks managed to hold together all the same, while the Rangers continued firing at the charging demons that were now less than fifty feet away.
Almost…
There was another call on the horn, different this time, and the Rangers fired their last volley of arrows over the heads of the charging cavalry. With shouts and cries of "Kay Ellewyn!" they slammed into the oncoming horde, driving back the front line of demons. Some beasts slipped through the charge, but most were taken care of by the point-blank shots of rangers and the spears of the infantry before they could do any harm. Jack impaled a tentacled thing on the point of his sword.
Just a few more moments…
Ketiya loped up to him a few moments later. Her bow was in the quiver on her back, as she had put it away in favor of her blade-tipped staff. "Did I miss anything interesting?" she panted as she took a place by his side. How she could make jokes at a time like this…
Now!
The horn sounded again, and the cavalry drew back. Their numbers had been reduced somewhat, but they had managed to hit the demons hard. The infantry rushed forward, as did the Rangers, now wielding staves for close-range fighting. Ketiya and Jack charged with them, and the battle was truly joined.
~***~
"For Guardia!" the three of them cried as they charged. It was the best they could come up with on short notice.
Lucca was the first of them to make a hit, vaporizing a wolf-headed creature with her gun. Marle shot a crow-man that was trying to dive at her, but only managed to wound it with her crossbow bolt. She barely managed to roll out of the way in time as its claws scored the ground where she had been standing. It swooped upward and dove again with a shriek, but was transfixed by a Ranger's arrow and dissipated into smoke in midair. Marle turned to thank the archer before engaging her next target.
She found herself facing a creature that looked like a cross between a porcupine and a toad. It shot out a sticky tongue and caught her, pinning her arms to her sides. But as it was drawing her back into its mouth, she started drawing on her magic – she was glad to have it again – and cast it along the toad's tongue. The creature looked very surprised and more than a little distressed for the few seconds before Marle's spell froze it completely. A shot from Lucca shattered the tongue, and another destroyed the toadsicle.
Marle elbowed some nasty thing that was trying to jump on her, then turned around and gave it a good kick before firing her crossbow bolt straight into its face, or what passed for its face. As it vanished, she noticed a wounded aiewan spearman lying on the ground nearby; there was a great gash in his chest. Their eyes met, and she could see his desperation – he was losing a lot of blood. She could heal him, though. Marle ran to him, but before she could get there a great manticore leaped on the unfortunate soldier and devoured him in two bites. Marle was too shocked to do anything for a few moments, until the monster looked at her and…laughed.
She was good and mad now. With a roar of fury she charged the chimera, shooting it with her crossbow and building up power to throw a big iceball at it.
But her shots were little more than pinpricks to the thing. It leaped into the air and landed almost on top of her, then opened wide its mouth to consume her as it had the soldier.
Marle was not one to panic in the face of danger, however. She raised her crossbow and fired straight into its open jaws. It looked terribly surprised for a moment – then its eyes rolled back in its head, and it began to collapse. Marle leaped back as it crashed to the ground and vanished.
"Marle!" she heard Lucca call to her left. "A little help here? Please?"
She turned to see her friend in the middle of a rapidly closing circle of enemies. Marle ran over as fast as she could, shouting "Get ready for an Antipode!" She tapped into her magic again, then extended some of it to Lucca even as she felt the flaming touch of Lucca's own power. They wove the spell between them, and when it was ready Marle shouted "Now!" and they let it fly.
The creatures that had made the mistake of harassing Lucca didn't realize they had been frozen until they were in the process of being broiled. It didn't kill all of them, but it took care of most of the problem. One of the wounded creatures lashed out at Lucca with a clawed hand. It put her off-balance but, because of the chainmail, it didn't pierce flesh. She responded with a blast from her gun. Marle shot an antlike beastie that was coming up behind her and joined Lucca, so that they were standing back to back.
"Where's Crono?" Lucca asked. Marle felt a surge of panic when she realized that she didn't know. He could be hurt, or eaten, or something worse!
But her fears were quelled almost instantly: a many-eyed goliath was suddenly surrounded by a nimbus of lightning, and it had barely had time to fall to the ground before Crono jumped over it and joined with them.
"Don't wander off like that!" Marle scolded as she shot a giant red-eyed bat.
"I wasn't wandering," Crono corrected. "I had some problems with a big snake. A really big snake." He impaled an alligator-headed something on his sword.
"Okay, fine," Marle conceded, "But don't expect to get off on that excuse next time."
~***~
Jack sliced the demon from its left shoulder to its right hip, then reversed his grip on the katana's hilt and drove the point backwards into an imp that was trying to leap on him from behind. He whirled around, adjusted his grip on the sword once more, and with a backhand slash took the leftmost head off a three-headed wolf. The other two were still functioning, though, and snapped at him viciously. One came very close to sinking its teeth into his arm, but he managed to pull back and the jaws clicked together on empty air.
But while the creature was concentrating its efforts on him, it was not watching for other attackers; it finished its existence on the business end of an aiewan rider's spear. Jack could not take time to thank the rider, however, since he had to defend himself from a huge, armored lizard whose sharp teeth were as long as his forearm. It also had a very long tail, which he did not notice until the creature swung it around to sweep his feet out from under him. Jack leaped in time to avoid it and landed on top of the gargantuan lizard's head. With a loud cry he plunged the point of his sword into the crown of its head. It screamed and began to thrash around, trying to throw him off. But Jack held tightly to the hilt of his sword and kept his balance until the thrashing became squirming, and then until the squirming became twitching. Only then did he pull out his sword and leap down from the beast's head, just before it dissipated into smoke.
He heard a snarling roar behind him and turned to see a black lion charging at him, its metal claws and fangs flashing in the sun. It tried to pounce on him but he dodged out of the way. The demonic lion adjusted its position in midair and came down facing him, its teeth bared. Jack held his sword before him and regarded the beast calculatingly. The two circled each other, looking for a chance to strike.
The two struck at the same time, leaping at each other, but never made contact – something wrapped itself around Jack's ankle and yanked him away from the lion. It was not a friendly something, but a long black tentacle belonging to a many-eyed behemoth that was now swinging him up over its gaping maw. He tried to slash at the tentacle holding him with his sword, but the creature held him in such a way that it was out of the blade's reach. Another tentacle whipped out and wrapped around his hands, immobilizing them, and yet another twined itself around his neck. He struggled to break the grip, but it was too strong. The edges of his vision began to go dark…
Suddenly there was a gurgling screech, and the tentacles holding him loosened their grip for a moment. Jack was able to slip out of them but did not manage to right himself before he hit the ground. He landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him, but recovered quickly enough to sit up and see what was going on.
Ketiya pulled the end of her staff out of one of the tentacled creature's eyes and stabbed it into another. The beast screamed again and grabbed her in a tentacle. But Jack was already on his feet by then, and with a leap and a slash he severed the appendage that was holding his friend.
"I owe you one!" she shouted as Jack landed on the ground. Ketiya spun her staff and severed another tentacle with the edge of one of the blades.
Jack took care of another encroaching tentacle with his own weapon. "I think we are even," he replied.
She smiled at him. "All right. You take care of the tentacles and I'll do the rest," she instructed. Jack nodded and severed another tentacle near its base as Ketiya plunged her staff into the creature again. She then gave the weapon a good twist; the many-armed beast died with a final gurgling wail. She withdrew her staff as the creature faded and whipped around to plunge the end into a charging goat-man.
It was then that Jack noticed a particular demon in the near distance – this one was a nine-foot-tall thing with a human-like body. But it had some very un-human features, such as great horns and tusks, as well as a pair of huge leathery wings sprouting from its back. A group of spearmen were trying to attack it, but it laughed and smashed them with a sweep of one of its great hands. Then it took notice of Jack; their gazes met across the battlefield. The great demon snarled at him. It roared out something and pointed a clawed finger at Jack. He and Ketiya instantly became the center of attention for all the nearby demons.
"The large one is their leader," Jack concluded as he and Ketiya stood together, brandishing their respective weapons in preparation for the coming attack.
"Which large one?" Ketiya asked through gritted teeth.
~***~
Crono beheaded a miniature T-rex with a quick chop and brought his sword up just in time to block the scimitar thrust of a gangling, slit-eyed ghoul. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep this up for too much longer. Although his chainmail shirt offered excellent protection against edges and points, it could not soften the impact of a blunt weapon or a hard blow, and he had been on the receiving end of many such blows. His muscles were tired from the exertion, as was his capacity for casting spells. He did not have time to fix either situation with a healing potion or elixir, for he was constantly fending off attacks from every quarter.
And things seemed to be going badly for the good guys this time. The aiewan were fierce fighters, but the strength of the demons was proving too great for them. Every time Crono looked up the number of his allies seemed a great deal less than it had been before. But they all fought on nonetheless, and they would continue to fight until they won or died.
Crono sliced the arms off the ghoul that had been menacing him and halved it at the waist. Then he turned around to face the next enemy, only to find that all the demons were drawing away from him.
All except one. And it was a big one, nine feet tall with great curving horns and fangs. It spread a pair of giant bat wings that blocked out the sun. Crono held his sword in the ready position and glared at the demon, waiting for it to attack.
He was very surprised to see it smile at him, though of course it was not a nice smile. Its teeth glinted dangerously and its burning green eyes shone with cruel amusement. "You possess great skill, for one so young," it remarked in a deep, grating voice. Crono didn't reply, but that only increased the demon's amusement. "Tell me your name, little warrior."
"What's it to you?" Crono growled. The demon threw back his head and laughed.
"My master said that I should take special care in dealing with you. Since I intend to do so in single combat, I would like to know your name first." He drew himself up to his full height. "As for myself, I am Grehk, and I serve the Lord Aku. Now, little warrior, will you tell me your name?"
"Crono!" he heard Marle call from behind him. He turned around to face her and saw, to his horror, that she was being held in the grip of a four-armed demon. Another such demon was holding Lucca, who was struggling mightily but to no avail. He tried to run to his friends, but Grehk leaped into the air and landed heavily in front of him.
"Not until you defeat me in single combat," the great demon growled. "If you refuse my challenge, your friends will die. You must face me first – if you win, you and your friends will be released. If not, all three of you perish."
Crono didn't think that he could trust this Grehk, but he had no other choice. Marle and Lucca would be doomed if he didn't. "All right," he said resignedly, "I'll fight you, if that's what you want." He tightened his grip on his sword.
Grehk's smile grew bigger. He and Crono faced each other for a few seconds – then Grehk suddenly lashed out with a clawed hand. Crono ducked just in time to avoid the blow and darted forward to attack with a loud yell. But Grehk extended the claws of his other hand and used them to parry the blow. He delivered a vicious kick that sent Crono flying.
Crono hit the ground with a jolt and his sword went spinning out of his hand. He rolled to the side to avoid being crushed by Grehk's feet as the demon tried to jump on him, then grabbed his sword and got up again. He brought it up in a blocking motion as Grehk lashed out at him with his sharp claws. Those claws locked with the blade of his sword, and it took all of Crono's strength to keep them at bay.
He would have to do something, and do it quickly. Though he was too worn out to cast spells, he could use magic to enhance his strength and speed, which would give him a chance against his foe. Crono started drawing on the magic, though he had a difficult time holding on to it, and let it flow throughout his body, lending extra energy to his tired muscles. He pushed back Grehk's claws and took a flying leap into the air, his sword raised above his head.
Grehk had not expected such a maneuver, and he did not react quickly enough. Crono's sword opened a long gash in the demon's chest. Grehk roared as his foe landed and darted between his legs, taking an opportunity to slash at them as he went. The demon whirled around and lashed out with a fist, but Crono was moving too fast for him now.
Before Grehk could recover from his attempted blow, Crono ran forward and slashed at the demon's abdomen. Grehk stumbled back with a hiss and shot out with his fist again. This time, Crono cut off the demon's arm below the elbow. Then, changing his grip on the katana's hilt, he jumped into the air and drove the point of it straight into the demon's chest.
Grehk emitted a loud, earsplitting roar, and the beasts that formed the circle around him echoed his cry. But even before he collapsed Crono was moving again, this time towards the beasts that were holding his friends. Marle and Lucca's captors – as well as the other demons – lost all courage with the death of their general and turned to flee. Crono didn't go after them. He was more concerned about his friends right now.
"Are you all right?" he asked Lucca. He turned to Marle. "Did they hurt you?" Lucca's response was a nod. Marle's, however, was a lot more enthusiastic – she hugged him so tightly that he had trouble breathing. But, all things considered, he was glad for it.
"They're running away!" Lucca cried. Marle loosened her grip (Crono took in a much-needed lungful of air), and she and Crono turned to see that it was indeed true – Aku's forces were fleeing in panic, with the aiewan army hot on their heels. Most of the demons were slain before they could reach the trees at the edge of the blackened plain that they had created.
The three friends got to their feet just before they were surrounded by a crowd of cheering aiewan soldiers. Crono sheathed his sword and looked around, feeling completely overwhelmed by…well, just about everything. And it became ten times more bizarre when someone shouted "Huzzah for Samurai Crono!"
What?!
Both Marle and Lucca burst into laughter, but Crono was too shocked to think that it was funny. The cheer was taken up by almost all the other soldiers. "Huzzah for Samurai Crono!" Feeling utterly self-conscious under the weight of all the attention, he exchanged glances with his two friends, searching for some explanation. All they could give him was a shrug and a grin each.
"Hey! Over here!" he heard Ketiya yell. He turned his head and saw her and Jack making their way through the crowd towards him, both looking as ragged as he felt. The two finally managed to reach him. "We saw you take down the demon," Ketiya said. "I think you just won the battle for us." She grinned brightly at him.
But Crono couldn't respond to her just yet – he had to settle something first. He turned to Jack. "I'm not a samurai, though! Am I? It's not that I don't like it or anything, just that…well, am I?" he asked desperately.
A smile crept over Jack's face, and he put his hand over his mouth as if he were trying to stifle a laugh. That was all the answer Crono got from him.
~***~
Aku had attempted to contact Grehk several times, but he had been unsuccessful. He had been able to see into the area occupied by his army just a few hours ago, but now he was blocked again. Which could mean only one thing.
"Bah!" he exclaimed, slamming his fist into the wall of the citadel. Some of the frozen flames were shattered by the blow; fragments of red and orange fell and disappeared into the depths of the Pit of Hate below.
Curse that samurai. Curse those brats. He would destroy all of them. But he had to get them into his own center of power first. How could he do that?
Then Aku realized that he did indeed have a way to make them come to him. They would not be able to resist – he would draw them into his trap and then…
He grinned a terrible grin, and his laughter echoed throughout the citadel.