Chapter 9: You Sure This Isn't Atlantis?
APRIL 9, 1200 BC
No matter how many times they went through a gate, they never got anything remotely resembling what they expected from a new one.
"Cold here." Crono muttered as they looked out of the little cave into the raging blizzard outside. Ayla nodded, then suddenly howled and started writhing around. Crono and Frog immediately ran over, but by the time they got there, she was still.
"Ayla head hurt bad... feel like brain on fire..." Frog suddenly howled and fell to his knees.
"Argh! What is this?" Crono blinked, then felt the same thing, like somebody had set off a grenade inside his head. After a few minutes, it cleared up, and from Frog and Ayla's ceasing to scream, he guessed the same thing had happened. Frog raised his arms.
"HEAL!" A flood of gold sparkles covered every part of their bodies, burying them in healing magic. Frog blinked.
"I doth not remember it being THAT strong..." Ayla got up.
"Ayla... feel wierd..."
"Well, I guess you two should go to the End Of Time to recover. I'll make the call." Crono pulled out the orb and looked in, seeing Lucca. She grinned.
"About time! I've been here for ages!" Crono suddenly had an idea.
"Hey Lucca, can you go ask Spekkio if he has any idea what's wrong with Ayla?" The scientest nodded, and her face left the orb. A few moments later, she returned.
"He says, and I quote, 'You idiot! There's a contiunous Zealian Magical field, and she came before Zealian Magic existed!' I'm guessing what that means is there's a huge aura of magic over the entire area. That would also explain why Frog's Heal is stronger." Crono nodded slowly.
"Okay. I think I get it. Anyways, Frog and Ayla are coming in. Get Robo, willya?" Lucca nodded and ran off again, returning with the robot. Frog and Ayla disappeared, and the two from the End Of Time came out... and immediately suffered the same effect. When they had finished, Robo performed a self-analysis.
"It appears... I have a new technique. A stronger form of my Cure Beam. Most interesting." Lucca raised an eyebrow as she looked out of the cave.
"Doesn't look much like a magical place. Good thing I put my time to good use."
"Oh? What did you do, invent a flying toaster?" Lucca rolled her eyes.
"Ha ha, very funny. Actually, I cooked up a way to produce short-range explosives quickly. It uses my Fire magic. The more powerful ones still take too long to be produced, however. And maybe I'll have a new technique now like Robo!" Robo beeped.
"This conversation is facinating. However, I must suggest we get on our way." The blizzard wasn't nearly as bad as it looked, but it did obscure all sight. The three stumbled through for what seemed like days, but was in fact only hours, until Crono saw a flash of purple light and headed towards it. Eventually, they found a small white dome with four glowing purple circles placed evenly around it and a fifth on the roof. Inside, it was completely insulated from the cold. There was a large tier in the middle, with a circular purple design.
"Okay. We sleep here, then investigate that thing after resting." Without waiting for a response, Crono immediately conked out.
***
He was rudely awakened some time later by a faceful of snow.
"Ack!" Sputtering, he wiped it off and glared at his two companions. Robo was laughing again, while Lucca was actually rolling on the floor. Grinning, Crono grabbed a double handful of snow from outside and dropped it on her head.
"Gah!"
When she had cleaned off, the three stepped onto the purple circle, which immediately began glowing and shot up a beam of light up through the roof. Their vision turned white...
"WHOA!" Lucca summed it all up in that one word. Even Robo was doing his best to jawdrop at the sight before them. They were standing on a similar pedestal, without the building. It was in the middle of a beautiful grassy meadow... on a floating island. Crono ran over to the edge and peered over, seeing the clouds around him and, far below, the ice-covered mainland. About a half-day's walk away, they saw a white city built of the same marble as the pedestal. Far away, they saw a much larger second island with a large mountain, but they could not make out any details. Robo was the first to speak.
"I... am recieving an unusual sensation. I believe it is the emotion classified as... wonder." Lucca slowly nodded.
"Yeah... this place is beautiful."
"This explains that 'magical aura'," Crono added. "Can you imagine the kind of power it would take to keep this place up?"
"A kingdom of magic..." Lucca murmured softly. She looked over at the city. "I can't wait to see what that's like! Let's go!"
As they walked, Crono started to chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Lucca asked.
"We slept down in that building. And yet, this place was just a step away. It's just kinda funny, is all."
"Yeah..."
***
The man at the front desk wore a heavy blue robe and hat, with an orange scarf. He blinked as his eyes scanned the three.
"Welcome to Enhasa, strangers! Your clothes are strange. Are you travelers from a far off land?" Crono decided that was the best course.
"Yes. We're... explorers from the kingdom of Guardia. We had no idea that this place existed..." The man stared.
"You haven't heard of the magic kingdom of Zeal? Impossible!"
"Well, you hadn't heard of us either, so..." Lucca prompted. The man chewed on this for a moment, then seemed to accept it.
"Hmm... that makes sense. Well, feel free to do whatever you will. Enhasa is a very relaxed city. Here, we attempt to interpret the prophecies that come from dreams." Crono scoffed.
"Prophecies? Gimme a break." But wait, hold it. Azala could see the future, couldn't he? And Melchior and the Old Man were both talking about something like that.
"Oh, I assure you, we are quite accurate!" The man protested. "We have been at this for thirteen hundred years, since the founding of the Kingdom, and we have been accurate 97% of the time!"
"What about that other 3%?" Lucca asked skeptically. The man looked embarrassed.
"Ah... occasionally one of us will recieve a message that is so ludicrous that it is obviously false. For example, one lady dreamed that our Queen would destroy the world! Isn't that ridiculous?" He laughed. Crono nodded.
"Of course. I would react similarly if somebody told me King Guardia was going to do that." The man smiled.
"Well, go ahead. If you need rest, go to the northwest corner."
They wandered to the right, and stared at what they found: It was Masa! Or was it Mune? No, it was neither, they realized; this creature was of the same species, but it was taller, and had green eyes. As they grew close, it turned and grinned before speaking.
"This is the magical kingdom of Zeal, where dreams can come true... but at what price?" Quickly, she (they could tell her gender by her voice) spun around quickly and disappeared.
"That sounded ominous." Crono commented. "Perhaps we should keep our eyes open." As they walked north, they passed many people in beds, murmuring in their sleep. Beside each one, there was another person sitting and writing, apparently recording the words. After a while, they found the imp again. She grinned as she saw them.
"Am I a butterfly dreaming I'm a man, or am I a bowling ball dreaming I'm a plate of sashimi? Never assume what you see and feel is real!" She disappeared again. Lucca adjusted her glasses.
"... Is it just me, or was that really wierd?"
"Wasn't you." Crono grunted. Robo merely nodded. They went across to the other end of town and started chatting with the people. One old man waved them over to a window with binoculars. They looked in and saw a blue pyramid of light on a tiny island by itself. The man then showed them another pair, and they saw a strange white and yellow structure.
"The first one is the Elemental Palace, where the Gurus dwell," the man informed them. "The second is the Sun Palace, where a rare treasure is rumored to be guarded by an immortal guardian. Interesting, eh?"
Eventually, the three saw the imp again. As they walked up a staircase, though, a 10-year-old boy blocked their path.
"Hey, kid, mind getting outta our way?" Crono asked. The kid just stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"The black wind howls..." Without another word, he darted past them, followed by a purple cat.
"The black wind howls?" Crono rubbed his head. "I know I've heard that before..." Lucca rolled her eyes.
"Well, I haven't. Sounds like a load of hogwash."
"Beware..." They turned to see the boy staring at them again. Robo spoke first.
"Beware... what?" The boy didn't speak for several moments.
"One among you... will soon perish..." He spun and dashed through the crowds like his feet were on fire, and by the time they had recovered from the shock, he was gone.
"What the hell was THAT all about?" Crono said, worried. "I don't plan to die anytime soon, and neither do you guys, right?" Robo and Lucca both nodded. "Okay, then! We forget that ever happened!" But as they left, Crono still felt uneasy...
The imp was gone by now, so the three decided now would be a good time to leave Enhasa and explore some more. The man at the desk was sleeping. As they walked out, Crono noticed a strange red book.
"Hm... 'Book Of Fire' by Belthasar, eh?" Crono shrugged, then flipped it open. The book immediately burst into flame.
"WHOA! Uh, I didn't do it! Nobody saw me do it! You can't prove anything! ... I'm outta here!" He ran for it without realizing that nobody was paying attention to him.
***
"That was real smooth, Crono."
"Shaddup."
It took the rest of the day to get to the next teleporter, and they decided to sleep the night in the fields next to it. In the morning, they were awakened by the sound of the teleporter activating. Crono opened his eyes to see the little boy who had freaked them out in Enhasa disappear.
"Hold on! Wait! Hey, wake up you two!" The three quickly followed the boy... into another blizzard.
"Bah!" Lucca commented. "He's gone."
"I detect a single lifeform moving south." Robo said. Crono smiled.
"That's our Robo! Robo, do you think you can follow him, and remember the path?"
"...Affirmative."
"Okay! Lead the way, Robo!"
Even with Robo's guidance, it took another full day to get to the Skyport. When they went on it, they discovered they were on a place that made the Enhasa isle look like a garden. This larger island was dominated by a large brown mountain. A waterfall ran down the side into a pair of lakes. Another city was about a day's hike away. Lucca yawned and flopped onto the grass.
"I assume we'll be sleeping here, then heading there in the morning, Crono? ...Crono? Aya, asleep already..."
In the morning, Crono woke up bright and early. Unlike Lucca, who was apparently close to a coma.
"Hmm... how to wake her up..." He grinned. "Oh, I know... Hey, Robo, help me push..." Together, they successfully managed to roll Lucca into the lake.
"ACK! Blub! Sploosh!" Gasping and sputtering, the rudely awakened scientest made her way to shore, where she immediately set Crono's pants on fire, forcing him to jump in the lake as well.
A day's hike took them to the next city. The man at the entrance looked completely identical to the one in Enhasa.
"Welcome, travelers! This is Kajar, where we study magic." Crono grinned.
"Excellent. May we look around?"
"Of course." Unlike the people of Enhasa, the Kajar inhabitants seemed very busy, hunched over strange and bizarre apparatus. As they went past one area, they heard a man and woman idly chatting.
"We've been seeing a lot of Janus lately, haven't we? He's so sullen these days, moping around all the time..."
"His only friend, besides his sister, is that stupid cat. I don't think he even likes his mother... what tempest rages in his head?"
"Do you think this 'Janus' might be that brat from earlier?" Crono asked his comrades.
"Yeah, I think so."
"There is a high probability."
Crono shrugged and they went on into a room where many people were clustered around one big table, comparing notes as they worked on apparatus. One man was cursing under his breath as he fiddled with his thing.
"Excuse me sir, but could you tell us what's wrong?" The man turned to Crono.
"I'm missing an important part, that's what's wrong! One of those stupid Nu must have done it... the buggers love pranks..." Over in the back, a spherical blue creature with long, thin arms and a green growth on its head was staring intently at the books, ignoring everything. To its left, another one was sleeping contently. Crono decided to try the second.
"Hey, buddy. Do ya know anything about any missing parts?" The Nu just moaned in its sleep, refusing to wake.
"Zzz... water summons wind... wind makes fire dance... zzz..." Lucca groaned.
"We won't get anything useful from him. Robo's trying the other." At that moment, the robot walked up, shaking his head.
"He has ignored everything. Let us go."
Later, they were chatting with a woman near a large pile of books. Crono glanced at one; Book Of Water by Belthasar. The woman saw his gaze and smiled.
"Belthasar... that old fellow was a little strange, but what do you expect from a Guru? They say he hid secret rooms in Enhasa and Kajar..." Crono thought back and remembered the Book Of Fire in Enhasa.
"Hey, has anybody seen a Book Of Wind or Fire around here?" Lucca thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Yeah... a Book Of Wind was near those two people talking about Janus, I think." The woman spoke up next.
"I think the shopkeeper in the center of town has a Book Of Fire..." Suddenly, a ringing sound came from a strange machine. The woman lifted up a banana-shaped portion and put it to her ear and mouth.
"Yes... yes? Oh, my! ...Very well." She put it back down. "So sorry, travelers, but I must go now. I have been summoned to the palace." As she left, Crono flipped open the Book Of Water and a miniature fountain started gushing from it. Lucca stared.
"Crono, what the hell did you do?!"
"Never mind that, show me the Book Of Wind." That one turned out to contain a small tornado. Crono hurried to the center of Kajar, where a sleeping Nu sat behind a counter. The Book Of Fire sat on the counter, and as soon as Crono opened it, a large bookcase nearby slid down into the floor, revealing a door.
"That's very nice, Crono, but how'd you know it?" Lucca asked. Crono grinned.
"What that sleeping Nu said... plus the rumor of secret rooms... I put two and two together. Let's see what's in here."
The small room only had two features: A small table with a single book in the back corner, and a Poyozo Doll sitting on the rug in the center of the room.
"A Poyozo Doll here...?" Crono muttered as he walked over to inspect it. The moment he touched it, though, it dissolved, leaving a perfect Onyx jewel.
"What the-?!" He shrugged and pocketed it. Lucca and Robo were reading the book in back. As he walked over, the girl looked up.
"This is fascinating, Crono! It's a volume of history! Listen: 'In ancient times, a rare, red rock symbolized power. Over time, this rock became the symbol of the royal family...' I could read this for ages!"
Crono yawned. "Well, I think we should leave it here. But we do need to rest, so howzabout we spend the night in here and get going in the morning?"
"Okay!"
***
In the morning, their first stop was the strange dock to the west of Kajar. As they grew near, they saw that a large blue machine resembling a bird was docked. A pair of men in matching purple suits and wearing masks blocked the way.
"Who're you?" As Crono and co. were about to answer, another voice came from behind them.
"How's the Blackbird?" A muscular man, with long brown hair and matching cloak, wearing a blue jumpsuit. He blinked as he saw them, then started laughing.
"You? You three are the evildoers the Prophet spoke of? Ha! I didn't think it would be THIS easy to find you!" Crono glared. He didn't like this guy.
"You wanna fight, creep?" The man pondered, then shook his head.
"No, my assignment was simply to find you, not bring you in. I'd better report to the Queen!" He left. The guards rolled their eyes.
"That's Dalton, the Queen's Aide. He has a big head." The three nodded. The guards seemed more friendly now. The other guard gestured behind him at the huge machine.
"This is the Blackbird. I'll bet you never guessed something that big could fly, did you?"
"That thing can FLY?!" Crono exclaimed. The guard nodded.
"Oh, yes! It was built by Belthasar, the Guru of Reason! He's a genius!"
"So I see...." Lucca murmured. "I would like to meet this Belthasar..."
Once they left the docks, there was only one way to go; the mountain. The hiked up it all day, occasionally warping using shining golden pillars in a cave. As dusk settled, they finally entered the imposing white palace at the peak.
***
"Is it just me, or is the atmosphere different in here?" Lucca whispered.
"Again, it ain't you." Crono muttered back. Where Enhasa and Zeal had been vibrant and full of life, this place was deathly calm. The people worked silently and tirelessly. As the three walked forward down the mainway, they suddenly found the way blocked by two yellow imps; one blue-eyed, the other violet...
"I wanna be the wind, Masa!" "Oh, you will some day, Mune." The three did a collective jawdrop (Which was neat trick for Robo, since he didn't have a mouth). It was Masa and Mune! The imps continued their coversation, ignoring them.
"Big sister Doreen's at Enhasa again." "I know. That's because she likes dreams." "I like the wind better! Woosh!" The imps obviously weren't moving, so the three decided to find another way around. If they had stayed a moment longer, they would have heard Mune say something very interesting;
"I wonder how old man Melchior is doing. Humans can be so odd..."
After a few minutes, Lucca found an overhang that went across the entire huge room. As they walked across it, they found a Nu polishing the rail. Without turning around, it spoke to them.
"Um... could I ask you a favor?" Crono shrugged.
"Sure. What is it?"
"Could you... scratch my back?" Crono saw the creature's arm weren't long enough to get around its spherical body, shrugged and complied.
"Ooo... uhh..." As he touched a specific spot, it jumped five feet in the air.
"Yow! Thank you!"
Hmm, Crono thought as they walked away. I'll have to remember that spot. It could come in handy.
After a few more minutes, they got to the back of the room, where three doors stood, a Nu sleeping next to each. Crono shrugged and placed his sword on the ground, then spun it. It ended up pointing to the rightmost door. The door led to a small y-shape, but more important was Janus walking through the right one.
"Should we follow him?" Robo whispered. Crono nodded.
"Yeah. I wanna find out what the hell he meant."
However, it seemed Janus was otherwise occupied; when they went in, they saw him walking up to a beautiful young lady in a purple robe with blue hair.
"Schala..." The young woman turned calmly to face him.
"Janus, is something wrong?" The boy nodded slowly.
"The black wind..." Schala bit her lip.
"You can feel it too? I wasn't sure. Don't worry, it'll be all right..." She held out something to him, and he took it curiously.
"What's this, Schala?"
"It's a kind of amulet. If something happens, it'll protect you." She sighed. "I wish we could be together always, little brother... but mother has other plans..." Janus looked up at her grimly.
"Schala, mother's dead..." She gasped.
"Janus! Mother's fine!" He shook his head stubbornly.
"That's not mother anymore! It looks like her, but inside, she's changed... our mother is gone..." Schala nodded slowly.
"I know..." Suddenly, a woman walked in. It was the woman who had shown them the Book Of Water at Kajar.
"Miss Schala, the queen desires your prescence immediately." Schala sighed.
"Of course." She walked forward and saw the trio. Crono winced inwardly. We're in for it now... But Schala did not seem mad. Her face stayed calm and kind.
"Oh, who might you be?" The lady turned.
"Miss Schala, please. If we take long, the Queen will punish me."
"Yes, we can't let that happen. I'm sorry, strangers, but I cannot talk with you now." The two exited, leaving a severely ticked-looking Janus staring at them for a moment before turning to face the wall. Lucca walked up.
"Hey, kid, what did you-"
"Go away."
"But we just want to-"
"Go away." She sighed. Janus wasn't talking, apparently. She turned to the little purple cat below, but it just hissed at her. Janus didn't turn.
"Don't bother. Alfador doesn't like anybody except me and Schala." Lucca just turned back to her friends, and all three left.
Back in the main room, they saw Schala going into the center door and followed. This led to a main hall, and Schala was at the end, facing a strange black door with a silver emblem on it. They saw her hold up a pendant to the door, and Crono jumped. It looked just like Marle's! Well, not just; Schala's was glowing strangely. But besides that, it was completely identical. For some reason, Crono had a very clear memory of Marle's pendant.
As she held it to the seal, the seal began glowing, followed by the rest of the door. Suddely, the entire thing vanished, and Schala walked through. As soon as she had gone, the door reappeared. Robo beeped.
"I suggest you exchange me for Marle. Her pendant may have a similar function." A moment later, the exchange was made, and the princess smiled.
"I've been watching as usual. Let's try!" She held up the pendant, but there was no response. She pouted.
"Ah, poo! Crono, you try!" He nodded and took the pendant, but the door did not respond to him any more than it did for Marle. That was when Marle got her introduction to the magical field. Somewhat dispirited, they headed back out and entered the leftmost door. It led to a spherical room with a strange, mutated statue in the center. Red light shown out from it, and many Zealans gathered around it. One man walked over as they entered.
"This is the hall of the Mammon Machine. It is our shrine to our god, the great and mighty Lavos!"
"WHAT?!" A collective jawdrop. The man blinked.
"Yes, our god is the great Lavos! All magic descends from him!" The man frowned as he saw the pendant. "Hm... that pendant almost looks like Schala's, but there's no glow." He looked at the machine. "Schala often comes here and lays her pendant on the altar. Why don't you try it?" Crono was just starting to get his voice back.
"This... THING... links you to Lavos?" The man nodded.
"Yes! It is made completely from the same sacred red rock that Schala's Pendant and the Gurus's weapons are!"
"That's a LOT of Dreamstone..." Lucca commented as she looked up at the machine. The man left, and Crono turned to the girls.
"I think we have a problem..." They nodded, and Lucca frowned, thinking.
"If all magic comes from Lavos, then we have a problem. We're gonna need to have a loooong talk with Spekkio..." The girls nodded, and Marle looked at the pendant, which Crono still held.
"Try putting that on the altar, Crono!" The teen slowly placed it there, then watched as a single ray of red light fired from the Machine into the pendant, which began glowing strangely. He nodded.
"Looks good. Let's try that door again!"
Sure enough, this time the door responded like it did for Schala. As Crono turned to give the pendant back to Marle, she shook her head.
"No, you keep it. I know it'll be safe with you..." Crono nodded slowly and slipped it back sround his neck, and they went in.
The room was dominated by a huge throne. On it, a middle-aged woman sat. Blue-haired and orange-dressed, her face held an almost inhuman cruelty. To the right of the throne were Dalton and Schala. To the left was a tall man completely shrouded by a purple robe and hood. As they walked in, he turned and jumped.
"Your majesty! These are the evildoers I spoke of!"
"What?!" Crono yelled. The Queen sneered down.
"So, the Prophet was correct! You dare to try and bring ruin to Zeal? Dalton, dispose of them!" The brown-haired man snickered nastily.
"Of course, your majesty! By your leave... GOLEM!" A black hole appeared in the center of the room, and from it emerged a monstrosity. The conular Golem had no legs, and the lower half of its body held a disgusting, slobbering mouth filled with fangs. Just above it, two tiny eyes glared miliciously, and spindly arms hung from the sides. Crono groaned.
"Figures we'd have to fight. LIGHTNING!"
The Golem squealed as the bolt hit, but then it said something odd: "Copying Lightning..."
"Huh?"
"LIGHTNING 2!" The three all gasped as Golem blasted them all with the powerful attack. Lucca growled angrily as she got back up.
"Why you little... FIRE!"
"Copying fire..."
"Oh, crap!"
"FIRE 2!" The three were blown off their feet this time. Marle slowly rose.
"Blast you... ICE!"
"Copying Ice..."
"Oh, RATS!"
"ICE 2!" The last blow was too much, and the three collapsed. Marle and Lucca were out like lights, but Crono stayed up long enough to see the Queen clapping and laughing.
"Excellent work, Dalton! It's about time we moved the Mammon Machine, so why don't we throw them in that stasis field? Mwa ha ha ha ha..."
***
Schala and Janus watched the three strangers float rythmically in the stasis field. After a few minutes, Janus broke the silence.
"Hmph. Idiots. What are you going to do, Schala?"
"I'm going to release them. I'm getting this feeling... I think they're the only ones who can save the Gurus." She pressed her hands to the altar, and the three floated to the floor, regaining consciousness. Schala helped them to their feet, one by one.
"Quickly! You must escape before my mother returns!" She paused for a moment, then went on. "And if you can... please, try to find the Gurus!"
"I'm afraid I can't allow that..." Everybody looked at the door as the Prophet walked in. "You've caused far too much trouble. You'll have to just... disappear!" Schala's eyes went wide, and she stepped between the Prophet and the three.
"No, you can't!" Surprisingly, Janus also blocked the way.
"Get lost, you creep!" Even little Alfador meowed angrily. The Prophet seemed unusualy fazed.
"...Okay, I'll let them live. But in return, you WILL cooperate, Schala!"
"A... all right..."
"Good. Now, show me how you came to this land."
It took several more days to get back to the cave with the Gate. Eventually, they made it, and the Prophet spent a few minutes gazing intently at the Gate before speaking.
"So, this is how you came here? Very well! Schala, after they go in, you will seal this portal." She gasped, outraged.
"No! I won't!"
"Do it! Their lives are at stake!" The Prophet snapped. She sighed.
"...All right..." Crono opened the Gate, and they stepped through. When the Gate closed, Schala stepped up to it and began chanting. A red pyramid of light covered the Gate.
"Forgive me..."
APRIL 14, 65000000 BC
As soon as they exited the Gate at the Tyrano Lair, it was sealed with the same pyramid of red light. Crono groaned and shook his head.
"Well, we're not going back THERE in any hurry. Now what? Any ideas?" Marle frowned.
"Haven't we seen that seal before? On that door in the future?" Lucca suddenly jumped.
"And those wierd black boxes! They have that seal too!" Crono grinned.
"Okay! We search all these boxes and doors, and see if we can find some artifacts from Zeal! To the Denadoro Mountains, ho!"
A day later, they arrived back at Ioka Village, where they found that Kino had taken the Larubans in. After spending the night, back into the Gate they went.
APRIL 15, 0000 XD
"Hey, kid!" Spekkio called as they walked in. Frog, Robo and Ayla were on the couch, watching some show involving giant lizards with really long necks and tails. Every so often, Ayla would point at the screen and burst out laughing.
"Hey, Spekkio." Crono responded. "I assume you managed to get Ayla's little problem figured out?" Spekkio nodded.
"Yeah. Turns out now she can use just a smidge of Mysticism. Show 'em, Ayla." Ayla grinned, then turned to Spekkio and blew him a kiss. A moment later, the beer mug in his hand flew over to Ayla, who grabbed it and chugged it happily.
"Goddammit, I didn't mean on ME!" Spekkio grumbled for a moment, then formed another beer mug. He took a sip and immediately spit comically.
"What the HELL is this?!" Lucca sniffed it, then wrinkled her nose.
"It appears to be V-8 mixed with turpentine." Spekkio cursed again and threw the mug off the edge into the void. The scientest raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't that kinda dangerous?" Spekkio shrugged.
"Probly not. Worst case, some bum gets a mug of slop to the head mysteriously. You want me to take a look at you three?"
"Please." Crono said. Spekkio nodded, then closed his eyes, concentrating. It was several moments before he opened them again.
"Blondie can speed people up, geeky can increase defense, and you can revive unconscious people, kid. They'll still be pretty out of it when they wake up, though. Now siddown and shaddup, this documentary's almost over and we're coming up on Cowboy Bebop!"
APRIL 16, 600 AD
"So, there's one in the inn here, Crono?" Marle asked as they walked into Truce.
"Yup. Saw it in 1000 AD when I was a brat, and sure enough, it was here last time I came." Lucca scoffed.
"When you WERE a brat?"
"Shaddup."
When they arrived at the Inn, they immediately went up and found it. Crono touched the pendant to the box, and it turned blue. A melodious voice spoke from it:
"Do you wish to open the package?"
Before he could say yes, Lucca suddenly yelled, "No!"
The box faded back to black, and the voice spoke again: "Power-Up Sequence initiated." Crono looked at her, irked.
"Okay. How'd you know?" She grinned.
"What would you do if I told you I see the future?"
"I'd say you were full of-"
"Okay! Okay! Actually, I didn't. It just hit me; we should open them in 1000 AD first, then come back here and open them again! Double prizes!" Marle blinked.
"Won't that cause some paradox or something?"
"Worst comes to worst, we're out the 1000 AD ones. However, with this power-up thing, I think we should go and start it on all the boxes."
After pooling their brains, they came up with a total of five more to visit. First, they went down to Porre and activated the two there. Next was the Magic Cave; but this one just opened without asking. Inside was a strange ring with an engraving of a shield. As it turned out, the ring increased a person's magic defense. The Wall Ring eventually went to Marle. Next stop was Guardia Forest, where they found another one that opened instantly, with another ring inside. This one increased a person's speed. They sent it back to Robo. Finally, inside Guardia Castle they found the last one and activated it before going back. It was night, so they didn't see the King and Queen. Perhaps they could have a meeting next time.
APRIL 20, 1000 AD
This time, when they visited the Inn, they ended up with a suit of glowing blue armor. However, their second trip to Guardia Forest proved fruitless; the way to the little clearing with the Gate was blocked off.
"Probably to keep us from escaping." Crono snorted. Marle groaned, then held up a hand.
"Look, guys, maybe I should go into the castle alone. You two will probably be ordered shot on sight." Lucca bit her lip, then slowly nodded.
"Yeah, I guess you're right... but what if the king doesn't let you leave?" Crono smiled evilly.
"We wait 'til dark, then we climb up to her room and Lucca uses her Napalm to blow a hole through the wall!"
"Why, oh why do these plans always end with explosive property damage to my home?" Marle moaned.
***
"Princess!" The two guards yelled as she walked in. A moment later, the Chancellor came running up.
"Princess Nadia, you have returned!" She frowned darkly.
"Chancellor, I'm not in the mood for..."
"Haven't you heard?! The king has put Crono's sentence on hold!" Marle's eyes went wide, and she broke into a wide smile.
"So, he does care for me after all!" The Chancellor shook his head sadly.
"My dear, I wish it could be so... but the truth is, he is only doing it to keep the kingdom quiet... it's all he really cares about..." Marle blinked.
"What? That's not true!" He covered his eyes.
"I'm sorry, princess, but it is. Your father only has eyes for Guardia... even when your mother, Queen Aliza, died, he could not come to her side... said he had some work to do..." As he talked, Marle's expression grew more and more angry. The chancellor continued on, seemingly not noticing.
"Queen Aliza passed away in sorrow... it's almost as if he indirectly killed her... what a shame..."
"FATHEEEEER!!!" Marle ran past the Chancellor, and into the throne room. As she passed, the Chancellor smiled.
King Guardia looked up, surprised, as his daughter ran in.
"Nadia! You have returned! I have news regarding your friend Cro-"
"The chancellor already told me!" She spat. "What's best for the kingdom, right?" The king stared at her.
"What? What are you talking about? I put his sentence on hold because he was you friend!"
"Yeah, right! You don't give a damn about anything except your kingdom!" The King's face turned livid.
"How dare you say that to me! After all I've given up for you-!" Marle sneered.
"All you've given up? Try all the things you've 'given up' for this damned kingdom! Like mother's LIFE!"
"THAT'S IT!" The King thundered. "As of this moment, we are no longer family! Get out of my sight!"
"Fine! I'll get my things right now!" She stormed up the tower to her room and came back with a suit of red armor. The King did not even look at her as she stormed out.
"Hey, Marle! How did things go with your father?" Crono asked as she came out. She glared at him.
"I have no father."
***
During the several day's trip down to Porre and back, Marle was completely tight-lipped about the castle incident. In Porre, they found the Mayor's House and were about to go in when Marle spoke up for the first time.
"Uh... guys, we can't just take them. The Mayor of Porre is notoriously greedy. He'll never let us take the boxes." Crono thought for a moment, then came up with an idea.
"I know. Me and Marle will distract him. Lucca, you sneak up and open them, then send it to the End of Time."
"Gotcha." As soon as they went in, a pot went whizzing past their heads.
"Whoa!"
"YOU GREEDY JERK! I'M OUT OF HERE!" The shrieking came from a middle-aged woman in drab clothes. The object of her attention was a sleazy-looking man who was sitting on the couch, apparently unconcerned. Lucca crept up the stairs.
"Eh, big deal! You cost too much to keep up, anyways!" The man sneered. The woman looked as if she was about to explode as she stomped out the door. The man's sleazy eye shifted to Crono.
"Hey, kid! I'll give ya 5 Gil if you act like a chicken!" Crono resisted the urge to deck the jerk.
"Buck-buck-buckAWK!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAA!!! Here ya go, 5 gil!"
Crono turned to see Lucca snickering. As they left, he asked her, "How long were you standing there?"
"I came down just before the chicken act. You make a great bird, Crono."
"For the fiftieth time... shut up."
Their last stop was Heckran Cave, where they found another ring, this one with a bow and arrow symbol. It turned out this improved a person's accuracy. Lucca got it.
"Hey, I have an idea." Crono spoke up. "Let's go visit Melchior while we're here."
***
"Crono, m'boy!" Melchior smiled. "What have you been up to? Did you manage to beat Magus?" This prompted a triple jawdrop. The old man laughed at this. "Please! You think I didn't know what you were using it for? Now come in and sit down. I'll make us some tea and you can tell me what you've been doing."
An hour later, they had filled him in on everything. Melchior nodded his head slowly.
"So, that's what happened..." He walked over to the window and pointed to a spot north of Medina Village.
"There's a place I think you should go visit. Look up north of the village, please." Lucca frowned.
"Well, if you say so..."
A day later, they were back in Medina. As they passed by the village square, Crono glanced up onto the pavilion... and promptly gagged. The last time he had been here, the Mystics had been worshipping a statue of Magus. Now, however, it was changed to a statue... of Ozzie.
"So, that fat freak survived..." He murmured as he gazed. Then he saw that Marle and Lucca were far ahead of him. "Hey, wait up!"
"So, when do you think we'll see this thing?" Marle asked some time later. Crono rolled his eyes.
"Beats me. Maybe the old guy's just gone sen... homina homina homina..." It was the same blue pyramid of light that they had seen on the single island in Zeal! Gingerly, they crapt up to it. As they stood before it, the Pendant began glowing eerily. A blue spark shot out of it and flew to the point of the pyramid, then split into four. Each spark slid down to a corner of the pyramid, where there was a blue orb. As the sparks touched the orb, there was a flash, and the pyramid vanished. Where it was, there was a stone platform covered in ancient designs. On it, a Nu stood between two Boxes.
"The seal has been broken. I will give you the treasure of the Guru of Reason." He turned to the first chest. "To my right is a weapon with the power to destroy." He turned to the second. "To the left is protective gear which will guard your life." He turned back to them. "Choose whichever you feel you need, and take it with you." He closed his eyes and sighed long and loud.
"13,000 years was a long time to wait, but at last, it is ended. Belthasar, my mentor, I shall see you shortly..." With that, he disappeared, leaving the two chests. Crono turned to the girls.
"What do you think? Do we go with the weapon, or the pprotection?" Lucca grinned.
"The weapon. Kill is good!" Marle shook her head.
"I say the protection. We don't want anybody dying if some bum gets in a lucky shot." Crono groaned.
"Choice is down to me. Shoulda known. Okay, there's only one thing to do..." With that, he took out a single piece of gil and flipped it. He looked solemnly at it, then walked over and pressed the Pendant to the chest on the right. There was a blinding flash, and both chests were gone... but before him lay a sword of crystalline blue.
***
"Yes..." Melchior said softly as he examined the blade. "Just as I thought... my boy, this sword was the weapon of Belthasar, the Guru of Reason, when he was younger."
"I didn't know it was THAT good..." Crono muttered. "What's it made of?"
"Pure, tinted dreamstone. Like the Masamune." Melchior gave the sword back. "Now, I suggest you go and talk to the old man at the End Of Time."
"How do you- yeah, yeah, I know, you can't tell us now. Well, thanks anyways, Melchior."
APRIL 23, 0000 XD
"Eh?" The old man said. "What the-? Oh, you guys. How've you been?"
"Pretty good, actually." Crono smiled. "Except there was this place called..."
"Zeal?" Crono blinked, then nodded. The Old Man smiled under his hat.
"I've been watching the whole thing, m'boy. Now, where you need to go is back to the future."
"Oh, yeah!" Crono snapped his fingers. "Those Doors!"
"Yeah, and more. When you're done looting, look for the Keeper's Dome."
"Excuse me?" Lucca yelled. "Looting?"
"Well, isn't it?" The old man retorted.
"Well, yeah, but... looting just has a... not nice ring to it!" This caused everybody else to break out laughing. Lucca turned red. "Let's just get going already!"
APRIL 27, 2300 AD
"I had forgotten how bleak it is..." Lucca muttered as they walked from Lab 32 to Arris Dome following a successful rematch with Johnny. They had already gone back to 600 AD and reopened the chests. This time, they had found mail vest instead of fulls suits of armor. They had yet to ask Spekkio if he knew anything about them. As they entered the dome, Doan looked up and smiled.
"Hey, everybody! They're back!" A resounding cheer came from the residents. Crono and Co. mock-bowed, then walked over to their old friend.
"Hey, Doan. How's the seed doing?" Doan held up a battered clay pot. In it was a glowing green plant.
"Take a look for yourself! If it keeps growing, we may have hope after all. By the way, some guy from Trann Dome managed to fight his way here, and we gave him a sapling. If he can make it back, and I think he can, then those people'll be better as well."
"That's great, Doan. If you'll excuse me, there's something we have to get in your basement."
The password worked as well as ever, and they easily found the door. It opened just like the one at Zeal. Inside was a dimly glowing robe. Marle took it off its hook and tried it on, and it fit perfectly. Crono smiled.
"Looks good on you."
"Thanks." She gave him a peck on the cheek. Lucca rolled her eyes.
"Right, if you two are finished..."
They stayed the night at Arris Dome before heading east through Lab 16. This time, the monsters all squealed and ran after the first encounter, in which Crono had blown three Mutants to dust with his Lightning 2.
At Trann Dome, everybody was clustered around a pot with a plant much like the one at Arris. In one corner, the guy who had greeted them almost two months ago was resting, with many bandages on him. The three didn't disturb the people; they just crept around and opened the door. Inside was a suit of armor that was glowing like the robe had. Crono immediately tried it on and found that just Marle's Robe had, it fit perfectly.
The final door, in the uninhabited Bangor Dome, turned out to have only a small grey jewel. The Gate, however, led back to the End Of Time and opened the Gate to the meadow in 1000 AD's Guardia Forest, where they claimed the final chest: A ring with a sword on it. Crono took the Muscle Ring, and then they went back to 2300 and Arris Dome.
"Back already?" Doan asked as they walked in.
"Yeah, we got what we wanted. Has anybody heard of a place called the Keeper's Dome?" The people stared blankly at each other and conversed in whispers. After a few minutes, one woman walked over to the group.
"I think you want the old guy living down near Death Peak. Talk about crackpots... you can get there via the Sewer Access." Crono nodded.
"Thanks. See yas."
***
The Sewer Access turned out to be a very small dome covering a hole with a ladder. Below it was-what else?-a sewer. As they entered, a tiny yellow figure with purple wings flew up.
"Intruders! Must tell Sir Krawlie!" With that, it was gone as quickly as it came. Crono rolled his eyes.
"Great. MORE trouble. What's next? The attack of the fish-people?" On cue, two fish-man Nerieds poked their heads out of the water. The teen snorted.
"Figures. LIGHTNING 2!" The effect on water was fairly predictable. He looked to the left, then shook his head.
"Bridge's out. We have to go south." As they proceeded, they suddenly caught sight of two yellow frogs croaking at ech other next to another missing bridge.
"Gribbit! The bridge was here! It WAS!" The smaller one protested. The larger one scowled as well as he could.
"Then where is it, gribbit? It didn't just get up and walk away, did it?" Suddenly, he caught sight of the three. "Somebody's coming! Let's scram, gribbit!" The two frogs ran down a flight of stairs. Crono shrugged.
"Big deal. We don't have time to chase frogs. Where do we go?" Lucca frowned.
"Looks like the only way TO go... is down those stairs."
"Of course." Once they were down there, Crono saw a sheet of paper.
I've had it... the fish-people attack if I make a single noise. I'd rather have my gums scraped then have to fight those fiends.
"Let's be really quiet." Crono whispered to the girls. On they went, passing various things. A mangey alley cat. A tin can and a trash can. A wedge of moldy cheese. Finally, they got back up to the second floor... and were immediately staring down a cluster of egg-like creatures. The only break in the shell was a mouth that extended around the entire thing, filled with purple slime. A few minutes later, the three continued on, severely gooked up.
"Hey, it's those two frogs again." Crono whispered. They were on the other side of a thin alley, and the flunky was pointing at a wall switch.
"Press this, and the door opens, gribbit!" The boss crossed his flabby arms.
"So press it, gribbit!" The flunky tried vainly to get up to it several times before giving up.
"It's too high, gribbit!" The boss snorted and shook his head disapprovingly.
"And you call yourself a frog! Gribbit!" Suddenly, the boss discovered Crono and co. standing right next to him. "GRRIBBBAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Crono laughed.
"Lemme help you with that, guys." He clamly pressed the switch. Across the gap to the right, a cybernetic door opened. The frogs blinked, unmoving. Lucca crouched next to them.
"How's this for a deal? Since we helped you, can you show us the way out?" The boss frog slowly nodded, and the two proceeded back through the alley, then around the back.
"Good thing we didn't come through here our first time around." Lucca commented as they walked. "We would've been creamed."
"Oh, I think we could've handled it." Crono said nonchalantly.
"Oh, please." Lucca rolled her eyes. "Do you really think we'd have been any match for those Nereids without our magic?"
"Sure!" Crono retorted. "We could've... YOW!" This exclamation came from seeing a creature that looked like a giant centipede. The frogs started shaking wildly.
"It's Sir Krawlie! We're doomed!" Sir Krawlie was now conversing with the little yellow gremlin they had seen at the start.
"Human snobs! Walking through the sewers like they own it! What cheek!" Krawlie was yelling. "Well, when they come through here, they'll get a nasty lesson! BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!" The gremlin joined in.
"HOHOHOHOHOHOHO!"
"HEHEHEHE-Eh?" The imp caught sight of them and ran. Krawlie turned around to see the Antipode's energy heading right for him.
"OH, CRA-" Krawlie exploded in fire and ice, sending chunks of flaming and frozen gook everywhere.
"Nice job," Crono noted. Lucca frowned.
"Imagine what we could do if we got Level 2 spells like you, Crono!" The rest of the trip through the sewers was uneventful. At the end, as they were about to climb up, Crono spotted another switch and pressed it. All the bridges immediately extended.
"That should make return trips a lot easier..." he murmured as he climbed after the girls.
***
They were now on a relatively large island southwest of Arris. The only two features besides the Sewer Access were a huge, blue mountain and another dome.
"The Keeper's Dome." Marle murmured as they entered. Machinery and computers were everywhere. The only sign of habitation was a Nu sleeping in front of a screen near the entrance. As they walked over, it rose.
"Greetings, again." It said. Crono blinked.
"Have we met?"
"Oh, yes. I gave you that blade you now hold." Crono stared at the Swallow, then shook his head.
"Well, whatever. We need to talk with the Keeper." The Nu shook his head.
"I'm afraid you cannot. The professor's programming was, in a sense, his own eulogy. Only his last invention remains, and my last task..." Crono facepalmed.
"He's DEAD? We came all this way for nothing?" The Nu shook its head slowly.
"Not dead... insane. He succumbed about a month ago. I have not seen him since." It frowned. "And your journey was not in vain. Look in the back..." With that, it dropped back into slumber.
In the back was one more sealed door, but instead of treasure, this door held only darkness. As they entered, a spark of light began moving. As the three followed it, a recorded message began playing...
"To those who opened the door... I am Belthasar, the Guru of Reason. I once lived in the Kingdom of Zeal. A great disaster in Zeal somehow threw me into this era. To my surprise, Lavos exists here, and, I suspect, in other periods as well. Aeons ago, Lavos descended from the heavens. Burrowing deep into the world's core, he began to consume our planet's energy, and grew stronger. Lavos disappeared briefly when he was summoned away be a mighty wizard who lived in Guardia, in the year 600."
"Magus." Crono whispered.
"In 1999, Lavos claims this world, and reigns from high atop Death Peak. Lavos continues to replicate... like a giant parasite, he is consuming our world. Forced to live here, I continued to conduct research on Lavos. But I am growing old. Old, even for a Guru... And it's impossible to keep sane in such trying times. So before I lose it completely, I shall safeguard my data, and my ultimate creation..." The recording let out a long sigh.
"How I long to return home... but I have grown frail... weak... So you... YOU, who have opened the door! I leave things in your hands. I charge YOU with this task. Only by mastering time itself do you stand a chance against Lavos. The odds will be against you... but I am a Guru, and I have seen what is to come. You are true heroes. The world is in your hands." The recording gave a weary chuckle, then resumed.
"Open, now, the last door, and take what you find there. My last, greatest invention, and your next ally... My 'Wings of Time'..." The recording stopped, and Crono saw that they were in front of another sealed door. Silently, he raised the Pendant, and they walked inside.
It was a large room, bare of all things except one; a giant, golden vehicle in the center. Lucca walked around, observing it from all angles.
"This must be the invention Belthasar spoke of..." She muttered. "This is amazing..." Marle frowned.
"How do you tell the front from the back?"
Lucca straightened up, ready to deliver some insult, but she was stopped by a voice like the one on the recording. "Ah ah ah! No fighting in the hangar, please!"
It was... the Nu. It was pushing a connected block of three seats to the front of the Epoch. When it was done, it turned to them and grinned.
"Scared you, didn't I? It's me... BELTHASAR." Triple jawdrop.
"But... I thought Belthasar was human..." Marle squeaked. The Nu nodded.
"I am!" It frowned. "If there's anything left of my body, that is... anyways, what I did was copy my memory into my assistant. Waddaya think?"
"Seems kinda... cruel." Crono admitted. The Nu laughed.
"Hey, it was his idea!" He sobered. "Anyway, there's something I need to explain. Namely, how to transcend time!" He showed them a diagram of the control panel.
"Okay, the Y button will bring up the time gauge. Once it's up, the L & R buttons will select a time. The A button will activate the time selected when the gauge is up, and open the hatch when it's not. The other buttons don't have anything assigned to them yet, so feel free to add some enhancements." He paused.
"Oh yeah! Before you go, why don't you name it?" Crono turned to the girls.
"Any ideas?"
"Titanic!"
"Millenium Falcon!" Crono rolled his eyes.
"You two have been watching too much of Spekkio's TV."
"Okay, smart guy, why don't YOU come up with something?" Lucca snapped. Crono turned to the machine and layed his hand on it.
"I think we should call it... the Epoch."
"Epoch... perfect." Marle said. Lucca couldn't help but agree. The Nu smiled.
"Hop aboard!" Crono got into the lead seat, and Marle & Lucca took the ones behind him. He followed the instructions, and a gauge popped up.
"What say we show the others this first?" He asked the girls. They nodded, and he set it for the End Of Time, then started it. Immediately, everything around them began flashing a brilliant white, and there was a crack of lightning. They found themselves travelling through a brilliant orange time stream at incredible speed.
"Eeeeeek!" Marle screamed, looking over the edge.
"Traveling at warp speed!" Lucca announced.
"Epoch's capable of THIS speed?! It doesn't even have jets!" Crono yelled. Lucca's reply was drowned out by another crack of lightning.
MAY 1, 0000 XD
The Epoch was parked at the dock near the End of Time, and the three quickly disembarked, grinning openly at the stares of everybody else, who had ran out when they heard the noise. Crono idly noted that Spekkio had changed form again, and now resembled an Omnicrone in red armor.
The old man was the first to recover. "Well, whaddaya know. You found it, huh?" For the first time they could remember, he left his lamppost and walked over to the Epoch, looking at it for a long time. "The Wings Of Time..." He turned back to the group. "You know where you need to take this."
"Zeal." Crono nodded. "We're going after we rest up from the future. That was not a fun trip." Lucca yawned.
"Actually, I think I'll stay behind. You guys take Ayla." The cavewoman let out a triumphant war-howl at this announcement, then suddenly jumped and ran back inside, followed by Frog & Robo.
"What was that all about?" Crono asked Spekkio. The shape-shifter shrugged.
"They're missing the big fight between Yoda and Darth Tyranus."
"WHAT?!" Lucca screamed. "YOU GOT EPISODE II WIITHOUT US?! YOU ARE SO GONNA DIE..."
"Blah, blah, blah. I copied it. Let's watch, already!"
After the movie was over, Crono started to walk towards the Epoch when he noticed Marle wasn't with him. Turning, he saw that Marle, Lucca and Frog had remained in Spekkio's room. The teen grinned, having an inkling of what was happening. Three flashes came from Spekkio's room, one red and two blue, along with cries of pain and complicated cursing from the Master Of War. Marle ran out, grinning.
"Guess who just learned Level 2 Magic!"
"That's great, but we really need to get going. Zeal, ho!"
"No, wait!" Lucca called. "You need to have Spekkio analyze the colored armor!" Crono groaned, then dragged the armor into the shape-shifter's room. Spekkio glanced at it, and his eyes grew wide.
"Kid, that's a rare find. You remember the 4 elements? Well, that stuff will absorb a certain element and turn it into healing magic. Red for fire, blue for water/ice, white for lightning and black for shadow."
"So what's the difference between the vests and mail?" Crono asked.
"The mail heals you more."
"Ah. Well, okay. Now, can we finally get going?"