Chapter Three
"Not that spanner, the other one," Taban instructed.
"You mean this one?" Lucca handed it to him.
"Yep." Taban tightened a bolt, struggled out from under the Epoch, and looked around. "I think that's it."
Lucca got to her feet and studied their handiwork. It had taken them several days but the task of modifying the Epoch was finally completed. She glanced around at the others, arranged in various positions of sleep. As the Epoch had been nearing completion they had chosen to watch politely, but when Lucca and Taban agreed to work through the night the others had gradually, one by one, wandered off a little way and fallen asleep.
Taban regarded his daughter fondly and with a smile said, "Lucca, look at you."
"What?" She glanced down somewhat self-consciously at her grease-spattered clothes.
"You're dirty," he pointed out. "Not only do you have grease in your hair, but you have a big black streak on your face."
"Yeah, well you're not too clean yourself," she responded with a grin. "Now that this is done, we may as well go and get cleaned up. And... thank you for helping us."
"Anything for you," Taban replied honestly. As they started to wander back towards the house he put an arm around his daughter's shoulders and pulled her close. "If ever I hear any rumours about you again, I'll get the story from you first."
"I'm glad you believed me." Not long before they finally finished, and taking advantage of everyone else being asleep, Lucca had explained to her father the origin of the rumours and how untrue they were.
Taban smiled to himself. "And if you really want to fall in love with an evil wizard from the past, I'll learn to live with it."
"Dad! He's not evil any more!" she protested, holding the door open for him. She had been wondering how they would manage to find their way back to their own universe and as she watched her father walk by she was beginning to work out a way. "Hey, could I possibly have a bit of your hair...?"
Crono was the first to wake. He glanced around to first locate Marle, then checked off the others of the group. He didn't see Lucca. Maybe she was in the house, resting. How late had she and Taban been up, working on the Epoch? At least past midnight, which was when Crono had drifted off to sleep.
At that moment Lucca walked out of the house, clean, cheerful, and absolutely exhausted. "It's done," she announced. "The Epoch can now travel through universes. Wake everyone up, we may as well get started."
"No, I think you should get some rest," Crono disagreed, rising to his feet. "How long have you been awake?"
"Oh, I'll get some rest on the trip," she shrugged.
"Lucca..." He went to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Lucca, how long?"
"Since we started working on the Epoch," Lucca admitted finally. "It's no biggie, Crono. It's not like I haven't stayed awake for a couple of days before."
"You're amazing. You really are. But I can't take you into a potentially dangerous situation without all your wits about you," Crono replied. "Besides, we might need you, and I don't want you being unable to think. What's that you're holding?"
She unfolded her fingers, showed him the lock of orange hair resting on her palm. "Dad's hair. I can make a Taban-finder now, something which will hopefully lead us back to our own universe."
"You really have thought of everything," said Crono with great admiration. "You try to get some rest. You can even go and sleep in your own bed, if you want. We'll wait for you."
"No, I'll sit here and rest. But I won't go to sleep," Lucca warned, sitting down and leaning against a tree.
"I'll get someone to look after you."
"I don't need a caretaker," she murmured drowsily, her eyes already closing.
Crono threw all caution to the wind and went to wake up Magus. As Lucca had been way too busy the wizard had used Schala as a hot water bottle instead for the past few nights.
"Wake up!" Crono shouted at him and poked him.
"What?" demanded Magus, sounding a bit sleepy.
"Go and keep Lucca company. She's tired, and she needs someone to sleep on."
"Hey, well you've come to the right person, I'll sleep with her anytime," Magus answered and wandered off.
"I hope," said Crono to himself, "that he didn't mean that the way it sounded. No, he's probably just half-asleep. At least, I really hope so." There was pressure on his feet and a purr, and he looked down. "Alfador, get off my- oh. Sorry, Schala."
Schala's only response was to purr more loudly. She had curled up on Crono's feet. After the Ocean Palace disaster she had transformed herself into a cat similar to Alfador and, having been drained therefore lacking the magic to turn herself back, she had stayed as a cat until a magical experiment by the main group turned her back into Schala. She still acted very much like a cat at times. Crono wasn't sure how she managed to purr, but she could definitely do it.
"Schala, wake up," Crono ordered, moving his feet gently.
"I'm awake." She stretched and yawned like a cat before rising gracefully to her feet. "Have Lucca and Taban succeeded in modifying the Epoch?"
"I believe so," Crono replied. "They were up all night apparently, so I'm trying to make Lucca rest a bit before we go off on another adventure. She's over there." He pointed.
"Isn't that cute?" asked Schala with delight.
Even Crono had to admit that the scene, Lucca and Magus leaning on each other both asleep, was almost cute. "I still don't know if I like him being around her so much."
"If he treats her badly, I'll beat him up in behalf of all of you." Schala crossed her arms and leaned closer to hiss, "And if you try to separate them, I'll just have to work around you."
Crono nodded. "I had a feeling you wanted something like this to happen."
"Absolutely," Schala replied. "I have plans for everything."
"Such as?"
"Can't tell you," answered Schala with a grin, shaking her head. She hesitated. "I suppose... would it be too much... could I ask you a favour?"
"What?"
"I understand if you don't want to. I mean, it'd be a pretty strange request, but..."
"Schala, what do you want?"
"Well..." She hesitated again before asking, "Could you possibly scratch me behind my ears? It's not the same if I do it myself."
It was a strange request, but Crono complied until Marle woke up and demanded, "What are you doing?"
"It was my fault," Schala admitted, opening her eyes and moving away. "Just a remnant from my days as a cat. What, worried I'd try to move in on your man? I can see why you go for him, but he's yours."
"I should think so," Marle muttered darkly.
Crono looked from one to the other. "Have I just missed something?"
"Why don't we wake the others?" suggested Schala, moving to do just that.
"Is it finished?" Frog asked, gazing at the Epoch. "Is it designed now to move between universes?"
"What, so eager to battle Kelke?" queried Magus from his position near the tree. He had an arm around Lucca, who was dead to the world. "I don't know exactly what they did and I have no chance of understanding, but it sure tired her out."
"We wait for Lucca, then fight Kelke?" demanded Ayla, bouncing up and down. "Ayla no like Kelke! Want beat him up!"
"Don't we all," Magus muttered.
"We don't know how to defeat Kelke," Marle pointed out.
"As he is a magical person, I would presume we must use magic to defeat him," Robo replied. "As he believes he is strong enough to murder Magus... I would presume we need strong magic."
"That's not really useful," Crono replied with a sigh. "Thanks anyway, but... the only people we have with the necessary experience with magic are Schala and Magus. Schala's been drained, Magus can't use magic. Between the rest of us, our strongest attacks are... what, Triple Kick, Shock, Flare, Frog Squash, Ice2 and Luminaire? I'm sorry, Marle, but I don't think you'd be particularly effective in this battle working by yourself. Robo and Ayla can't use magic... face it, we're screwed."
"What about an eight person tech?" Marle responded. "That could work."
"Also, about Magus' inability to use magic and the fact that he has to deal the final blow to Kelke to regain his magic," Schala began. "I have an idea. What if we can teach him a dual tech with everyone, one that involves everyone else using magic. Everyone has to be able to do it so no matter who else is left they can do the tech with him. We should also be able to start it just before we die, or pass out, or whatever it is that happens." She paused. "You know about the sickle?"
"Yes," groaned Marle and Frog.
"Hey, guys! Shh," Magus cautioned. "You'll wake Lucca."
"I think yours was a good idea," Crono said to Schala. "We'll do that, then. Magus! Get over here!"
"But I can't leave Lucca," the wizard protested. "I might wake her up."
"Lucca is practically unconscious, she wouldn't wake up if you dropped the telepod on her," Marle told him. "Get over her!"
"I'll just settle for you agreeing to do this," Crono sighed. "After all, we're helping you."
"True. You don't have to go and fight Kelke," Magus noted. "Unless you want revenge for the picnic. You have a point, I must admit." With obvious reluctance he went to stand with them. "So have you worked something out without telling me?"
Crono explained, Magus agreed, and they tried it out. Amazingly, Frog and Magus did it perfectly the first time and continued to get it right when everyone else made them try it again to prove that it wasn't a fluke.
In theory, it was simple. The person using magic focussed on Magus' sickle and hopefully put water or ice or lightning or whatever on the blade, and he attacked innocent air with it. Crono managed it eventually, it took Schala a bit longer. Marle iced Magus instead and he complained loudly for several minutes afterwards.
"Can I have another go?" Marle asked hopefully.
He glared at her. "No!"
"What are you doing?" queried Lucca from the tree, stretching. She had been woken by the commotion and Magus' complaints.
"Working out ways Magus can chop up Kelke and use magic," Crono explained brightly. "Frog, Magus, why don't you show her?"
"I can't," Magus answered. "My fingers have frozen solid."
"Stop complaining, you big wimp!" Marle scolded. "It was an accident. Really, it was."
"I do not enjoy working with the wizard," Frog grumbled.
"Yeah, well the wizard doesn't really like working with any of you either," Magus retorted, hefting the sickle. His fingers seemed to have miraculously recovered. "Are you ready, or what?"
They showed Lucca, who seemed to think it was a good idea. Crono persuaded Magus to let Marle have another go. Seven goes later they had it worked out. While Lucca was in the process of waking up properly they began to see if it could be done when the other person was on the verge of passing out. Ayla volunteered to hit them. Once again, Frog and Magus did it perfectly, although they had to wait for Frog to come 'round before they could ask him about it. This led to another lot of disasters and complaints.
"Ow!" Marle exclaimed, glaring at Ayla. "That really hurt! How come you get to hit us? I think we should each get to hit you at least once, and then you can see how it feels!"
"Ayla only doing job," protested Ayla, but she was trying to suppress a grin. She didn't want to hurt her friends but she found it rather amusing. "Crono have try?"
That produced another problem. Fifteen minutes later Magus leaned on his sickle and sighed. "Crono, I hate to be the one to point this out, but you're going to have to let her hit you."
"I can't just stand there and let her do that!" Crono protested, evading Ayla again. "It goes against everything I've been taught!"
Ayla gave up. "Maybe we do later. Who else?" she asked.
"Can I give it a go?" Lucca asked. "I mean the first bit. Not the part where Ayla gets to hit me," she clarified quickly.
"May as well," Magus shrugged. "I think everyone else is getting sick of it. I can't think why. It's not hurting me..."
Schala, who was rubbing her head with a grimace, glared at him. "I think we should all get to hit Magus."
"No fair!" he protested. "I didn't suggest it!"
Lucca changed the subject. "How are your hands?"
"Cold, but I can move them," Magus answered, then remembered. "Oh. They're healing. And they're not healing all crazy, either. I knew it was safe to take those cast things off. Well? Shall we give this a go?"
The first time she tried, she only succeeded in singeing his hands. They made him stick his hands in the sea for ten minutes, then Lucca tried it again. She set the handle of the sickle alight, but Frog dumped some water on it and it wasn't damaged. The third time, Lucca set Magus on fire and Frog dumped water on him. He wasn't badly burned at all but he complained a lot.
"I'm sorry," said Lucca meekly when he paused for breath. "Can I try it again?"
"No!" he exclaimed. "Absolutely not! Never ever! I swear you tried to kill me, and now I'm wet! And cold!"
"You could be burnt to a crisp," Marle pointed out. Alfador meowed in agreement.
Magus glared at the cat and ordered, "You can just keep out of this."
"Maybe we'll work on it when we're in the other universe," Crono suggested with a tolerant smile. "Do we have the Kelke-finder?"
"No," Lucca replied. "I'll go back to the End of Time and get it."
While she was gone, the others took the opportunity to try the sickle thing again. Eventually Crono, Schala and Marle could get it right before they passed out. Frog still did it perfectly every time. Lucca returned with the Kelke-finder and the eight of them, with Alfador, managed to squish into the Epoch. Lucca had to steer, as no-one else knew how to work the Kelke-finder.
Continuously referring to the Kelke-finder, she set the controls carefully and asked, "Everyone ready?" before pressing the 'go' button.
They were used to the time-travel thing now, although it still made Schala feel a bit sick. This was different. They seemed to be travelling through a rainbow cylinder, the colours lines which stretched far ahead into the distance. Then the lines began to move, revolving around them until they couldn't tell if the cylinder was turning over and over or if they were, or maybe both. Their speed increased until a bright flash of white blinded them all, and then there was nothing.
