Chapter 5
Mystic Castle (Formerly Guardia Castle): 1000 AD
"Crono..."
Why was everyone always trying to keep him from sleeping? He'd just woke from a terrible nightmare and didn't have the strength to get up at the moment.
"Crono!"
Crono tried to ignore the feeling of déja-vu coming over him and rolled over.
"Crono!" Crono opened his eyes to see Marle shaking him. "Come on, sleepy head! Get up!"
It had been a dream, right?
"Marle?" Crono mumbled as he sat up and began to regain his bearings. This was definitely not his bedroom. He did recognize it, though.
They were in the castle dungeon.
"Marle, how did we get here?"
Marle shook her head. "I don't know. I just woke up here like you did. A minute ago a Hench dragged you in here. You have a pretty nasty bruise on your head. He must have knocked you out."
"What about my mother and the others?"
Marle looked at him. "What about them?"
"They were with me before I was captured, my mother, Robo, Lucca, and her parents. We were going to use the gate at the fairgrounds to go to the End of Time. We thought Gaspar would be able to let us know what was going on, but before we got there, we were attacked by Mystics."
"I don't understand. When we defeated Ozzie in 600 AD, history was changed so the Mystics were friendly. Why would they attack you?"
Crono sighed. "Obviously someone tampered with time. The Mystics that attacked us were led by Ozzie VIII!"
Marle's reaction was the same as Crono's has been. "That annoying Mystic that ran Medina Village before we changed history?"
Crono nodded solemnly. "He knew all about the places we've gone, the things we've changed. He said he'd learned about it from somebody named Tempus."
"Tempus? Who's that?"
"I'm not sure but since Ozzie VIII had learned all about us from them, I'm betting they're a time traveler like us, and not a friendly one."
Marle looked around the cell. "Well whoever this Tempus person is, if they're messing around with history, we got to get out of here and stop them!"
Crono looked at her, the solemn look still on his face. "You're right but I'm not sure how we can."
She gave him a stern look. "Come on, Crono! You escaped from here once before."
"That was different! Lucca was able to help with-" He trailed off as solemn look was replaced by one of shock. Given that Lucca was standing on the other side of the bars, it was understandable.
Lucca smiled at them and pulled out a long pistol-like weapon. "Stand back!" She aimed it at one of the bars. A bright red laser beam shot out and melted the bar away where they came in contact. She aimed lower and lower until the bar was completely gone and then repeated the process with the rest of the bars.
Crono and Marle just stood there in awe. "How did you escape?" Crono asked.
Lucca smiled and pretended to blew smoke from the barrel of the laser. "Never lock an inventor up without frisking them first."
Crono stepped over the black marks on the floor where the bars used to be. "Did you find Robo or our parents?"
Lucca lowered her head. "On my way here I overhead a couple of the guards talking about a robot that had been brought that they were going to dismantle for study. I haven't heard anything about our parents. From what I've seen, they're not in the dungeon. They must have been taken somewhere else." She quickly raised her head with an intent look on her face. "Don't worry. If we can restore the timeline, they should be all right."
Marle put one hand on Lucca's shoulder and the other on Crono's. "Then let's find Robo and get out of here!"
Moments later the three were rushing through the prison halls, knocking out or blasting the occasional Hench or Naga-ette they ran into.
They almost passed a darkened room when they noticed a small flashing light from inside. When they went to investigate, they found it was a processing light on top of Robo head. It was propped up on a table while his body was in a sitting position on the floor. The faint mewing Crono occasionally heard from inside the body told him his cats were still in there.
Lucca picked up the head and carried it over to the body. "Looks like they were trying to access his memory files and see what they could learn."
She reattached the head reconnected a few exposed wires. Immediately lights on his body started flashing and the familiar humming and whirring sounds his internal systems made resumed. "Unit R66-Y now online. Oh! Crono, Marle, Lucca! Where are we?"
Marle looked around at the damp stone walls. "We're in the castle dungeon. We've got to get out of here. Can you move?"
A small buzzing sound emerged from inside Robo as he performed a quick self-diagnostic. "I appear to operating at top efficiency."
Marle jumped in the air as she often did when excited. "Then let's go!"
As they headed toward the bridge, they noticed a faint rumbling sound. As they continued on, it appeared to get louder and louder.
Finally rushing out to the bridge, they saw what the rumbling was coming from. A massive mechanical craft was blocking the bridge and slowly rolling towards them, its metallic head rising and falling as it did. Crono and Lucca recognized it immediately. It was the dragon tank.
What more disturbing was the large turtle-like creature riding the tank. For the three young humans it too was familiar.
Marle glared at the creature "Yakra XIII. If you're still alive then things have definitely changed for the worse." Marle obviously held particular resentment for him. Hoping to avenge his ancestor's defeat in the Middle Ages, Yakra XIII had impersonated the Chancellor, turned Marle and her father against each other, and tried to have Crono executed.
Yakra XIII simply laughed in a throaty voice. "Greetings, Nadia, or should I say Princess Nadia? Ozzie VIII explained everything to me."
"So you're working with him?" Crono sneered.
"Working with him? He made me his personal chancellor! The way I see it, we both have a score to settle with you."
"We beat you and that stupid tank of yours before!" Lucca shouted.
"That's what I've been told. So I made a few special modifications." Instantly the tank's head opened its mouth and a bolt of energy shot out, knocking the four time travelers back.
"Just who did you think you were, messing around with things that didn't concern you?" Yakra XIII taunted as the Dragon Tank rolled closer. "Your parents should have all taught you better manners. Well, they paid for that mistake with their lives."
Marle's face immediately went pale. "What!?"
Yakra XIII smiled at her look of horror. "I'm afraid so." He delighted at the reaction he got as he addressed Marle, then Crono, then Lucca. "Your father, your mother, both your father and mother. They were all put to death hours ago. The only reason you three are still alive is Lord Ozzie VIII wanted you to suffer."
Tears ran down Marle's face as she tried to choke back sobs with little success. Lucca simply stood there in shock, while Crono unable to find his footing, collapsed against a wall.
Only Robo was able to maintain himself, and responded to the news by launching a massive punch at the tank's head, knocking it clean off. He then tore into the tank, ripping out circuit, gears, wires, anything he could pull out. Sparks shot out everywhere as small fires popped up all over the tank.
Yakra XIII looked around the tank in horror as the fires began to spread. "What... What have you done?! The tank, it's going to-" He was interrupted as a console exploded right in front of him, knocking him off the tank.
Lucca began to regain her composure. "We've got to get out of here before it blows!"
Robo shook his head. "We can't get past the tank!"
Crono, slowly standing up, looked around until he saw a blue circle of energy a few feet below the bridge. "What is that? Is it a gate?"
Lucca's eyes lit up. "It is! Come on!"
Crono grabbed Marle by the arm and leaped over the edge and into the gate, followed quickly by Robo.
Lucca was the last to jump, taking a quick glance at the flaming tank and Yakra XIII who was slowly getting up. She'd sworn she'd make things right for her parents and failed. Refusing to give in to despair, however, she reminded herself there was still a measure of hope and jumped.
As the gate swallowed her up, Yakra VIII's screams were drowned out as the Dragon Tank exploded like a miniature sun, consuming everything around it.
Next: Ayla at last and an ally we've never seen before...
Mystic Castle (Formerly Guardia Castle): 1000 AD
"Crono..."
Why was everyone always trying to keep him from sleeping? He'd just woke from a terrible nightmare and didn't have the strength to get up at the moment.
"Crono!"
Crono tried to ignore the feeling of déja-vu coming over him and rolled over.
"Crono!" Crono opened his eyes to see Marle shaking him. "Come on, sleepy head! Get up!"
It had been a dream, right?
"Marle?" Crono mumbled as he sat up and began to regain his bearings. This was definitely not his bedroom. He did recognize it, though.
They were in the castle dungeon.
"Marle, how did we get here?"
Marle shook her head. "I don't know. I just woke up here like you did. A minute ago a Hench dragged you in here. You have a pretty nasty bruise on your head. He must have knocked you out."
"What about my mother and the others?"
Marle looked at him. "What about them?"
"They were with me before I was captured, my mother, Robo, Lucca, and her parents. We were going to use the gate at the fairgrounds to go to the End of Time. We thought Gaspar would be able to let us know what was going on, but before we got there, we were attacked by Mystics."
"I don't understand. When we defeated Ozzie in 600 AD, history was changed so the Mystics were friendly. Why would they attack you?"
Crono sighed. "Obviously someone tampered with time. The Mystics that attacked us were led by Ozzie VIII!"
Marle's reaction was the same as Crono's has been. "That annoying Mystic that ran Medina Village before we changed history?"
Crono nodded solemnly. "He knew all about the places we've gone, the things we've changed. He said he'd learned about it from somebody named Tempus."
"Tempus? Who's that?"
"I'm not sure but since Ozzie VIII had learned all about us from them, I'm betting they're a time traveler like us, and not a friendly one."
Marle looked around the cell. "Well whoever this Tempus person is, if they're messing around with history, we got to get out of here and stop them!"
Crono looked at her, the solemn look still on his face. "You're right but I'm not sure how we can."
She gave him a stern look. "Come on, Crono! You escaped from here once before."
"That was different! Lucca was able to help with-" He trailed off as solemn look was replaced by one of shock. Given that Lucca was standing on the other side of the bars, it was understandable.
Lucca smiled at them and pulled out a long pistol-like weapon. "Stand back!" She aimed it at one of the bars. A bright red laser beam shot out and melted the bar away where they came in contact. She aimed lower and lower until the bar was completely gone and then repeated the process with the rest of the bars.
Crono and Marle just stood there in awe. "How did you escape?" Crono asked.
Lucca smiled and pretended to blew smoke from the barrel of the laser. "Never lock an inventor up without frisking them first."
Crono stepped over the black marks on the floor where the bars used to be. "Did you find Robo or our parents?"
Lucca lowered her head. "On my way here I overhead a couple of the guards talking about a robot that had been brought that they were going to dismantle for study. I haven't heard anything about our parents. From what I've seen, they're not in the dungeon. They must have been taken somewhere else." She quickly raised her head with an intent look on her face. "Don't worry. If we can restore the timeline, they should be all right."
Marle put one hand on Lucca's shoulder and the other on Crono's. "Then let's find Robo and get out of here!"
Moments later the three were rushing through the prison halls, knocking out or blasting the occasional Hench or Naga-ette they ran into.
They almost passed a darkened room when they noticed a small flashing light from inside. When they went to investigate, they found it was a processing light on top of Robo head. It was propped up on a table while his body was in a sitting position on the floor. The faint mewing Crono occasionally heard from inside the body told him his cats were still in there.
Lucca picked up the head and carried it over to the body. "Looks like they were trying to access his memory files and see what they could learn."
She reattached the head reconnected a few exposed wires. Immediately lights on his body started flashing and the familiar humming and whirring sounds his internal systems made resumed. "Unit R66-Y now online. Oh! Crono, Marle, Lucca! Where are we?"
Marle looked around at the damp stone walls. "We're in the castle dungeon. We've got to get out of here. Can you move?"
A small buzzing sound emerged from inside Robo as he performed a quick self-diagnostic. "I appear to operating at top efficiency."
Marle jumped in the air as she often did when excited. "Then let's go!"
As they headed toward the bridge, they noticed a faint rumbling sound. As they continued on, it appeared to get louder and louder.
Finally rushing out to the bridge, they saw what the rumbling was coming from. A massive mechanical craft was blocking the bridge and slowly rolling towards them, its metallic head rising and falling as it did. Crono and Lucca recognized it immediately. It was the dragon tank.
What more disturbing was the large turtle-like creature riding the tank. For the three young humans it too was familiar.
Marle glared at the creature "Yakra XIII. If you're still alive then things have definitely changed for the worse." Marle obviously held particular resentment for him. Hoping to avenge his ancestor's defeat in the Middle Ages, Yakra XIII had impersonated the Chancellor, turned Marle and her father against each other, and tried to have Crono executed.
Yakra XIII simply laughed in a throaty voice. "Greetings, Nadia, or should I say Princess Nadia? Ozzie VIII explained everything to me."
"So you're working with him?" Crono sneered.
"Working with him? He made me his personal chancellor! The way I see it, we both have a score to settle with you."
"We beat you and that stupid tank of yours before!" Lucca shouted.
"That's what I've been told. So I made a few special modifications." Instantly the tank's head opened its mouth and a bolt of energy shot out, knocking the four time travelers back.
"Just who did you think you were, messing around with things that didn't concern you?" Yakra XIII taunted as the Dragon Tank rolled closer. "Your parents should have all taught you better manners. Well, they paid for that mistake with their lives."
Marle's face immediately went pale. "What!?"
Yakra XIII smiled at her look of horror. "I'm afraid so." He delighted at the reaction he got as he addressed Marle, then Crono, then Lucca. "Your father, your mother, both your father and mother. They were all put to death hours ago. The only reason you three are still alive is Lord Ozzie VIII wanted you to suffer."
Tears ran down Marle's face as she tried to choke back sobs with little success. Lucca simply stood there in shock, while Crono unable to find his footing, collapsed against a wall.
Only Robo was able to maintain himself, and responded to the news by launching a massive punch at the tank's head, knocking it clean off. He then tore into the tank, ripping out circuit, gears, wires, anything he could pull out. Sparks shot out everywhere as small fires popped up all over the tank.
Yakra XIII looked around the tank in horror as the fires began to spread. "What... What have you done?! The tank, it's going to-" He was interrupted as a console exploded right in front of him, knocking him off the tank.
Lucca began to regain her composure. "We've got to get out of here before it blows!"
Robo shook his head. "We can't get past the tank!"
Crono, slowly standing up, looked around until he saw a blue circle of energy a few feet below the bridge. "What is that? Is it a gate?"
Lucca's eyes lit up. "It is! Come on!"
Crono grabbed Marle by the arm and leaped over the edge and into the gate, followed quickly by Robo.
Lucca was the last to jump, taking a quick glance at the flaming tank and Yakra XIII who was slowly getting up. She'd sworn she'd make things right for her parents and failed. Refusing to give in to despair, however, she reminded herself there was still a measure of hope and jumped.
As the gate swallowed her up, Yakra VIII's screams were drowned out as the Dragon Tank exploded like a miniature sun, consuming everything around it.
Next: Ayla at last and an ally we've never seen before...