Marle stopped, turned to Crono. "We're here."
"We are?" asked Schala, gazing at the air before them as if the Black Citadel would miraculously appear for her. It didn't.
"Yes." The princess took a deep breath. "I don't know what it will be like on the inside. This… Crono, we're heading for a battle that could make or break us. Kelke may very well kill us all."
"He won't," Crono promised her tightly. "I won't let him." He reached out to stroke her hair. "I won't let anyone hurt you, Marle."
"I think I'm going to be sick," Magus moaned. "Can we just get on with it?"
"Yes. Of course," Marle responded with a brief smile. Turning, she took another deep breath and pushed open the gate, leading the others into the Black Citadel.
There were exclamations from the whole group as they saw the Citadel for the first time. It was, indeed, black, the wooden gate in a state of disrepair. In fact, the entire citadel seemed abandoned. They walked past run-down houses and through wind-swept streets, heading always to the black castle that rose above the desolate city like a… well, like a very scary looking black castle rising above a desolate city.
"What kind of a place is this?" Schala said to herself, and then was almost blown over by a gust of the black wind. "Oh, stop that, Captain Obvious!" she snapped. "Yes, I know that something very bad is going to happen. I'm not completely blind, you know!"
The others had stopped and were staring at her, Magus with more understanding than anyone else. "What?" Schala demanded. "Are we getting on with this, or not?"
For about half an hour they walked cautiously through the creepy citadel. To their surprise, nothing attacked them on their way and they reached the castle almost easily.
The castle itself caused more problems when Crono opened the door and was faced with a corridor filled with doors. "What the…? Oh, there's no way I'm going to wander lost in this place! Somebody fix it!"
"I think I know where to go," murmured Marle, sounding as though she were trying to convince herself of this as she pushed back to her previous place at the front. "Follow me. It's… down here and… yes, I'm quite sure it's the door at the end to the right."
They were faced with another corridor with doors everywhere on either side. "Left," said Marle and set off purposefully, going all the way to the end of the corridor before choosing the door on the left. She led them to the end of the corridor and hesitated. "Kelke is in the room on the left. I'm sure of it… I can feel him. We really need to work something out before we get there."
"Oh yes," Schala remembered and moved among them, touching each of them in turn. Crono felt his magic rise in response to her touch. "I can't help very much in this battle, but I can restore your magic and shield you if necessary. You're pretty much on your own, I'm afraid."
"When we get in there, we'll do the eight person tech," Crono decided. "Otherwise… just try to survive. At least for long enough so that Magus can attack him." He leaned on the door. "We don't need to rush this, we can sit out here and plan – whoops!"
The door had swung open, sending Crono stumbling inside the room. "That was clever," Marle hissed.
"It wasn't me," Crono protested.
"The time for planning is over, Crono," said Kelke calmly. He stood facing them, arms folded, garbed in his white robes. A circular pool of some dark liquid was at his feet. "I warned you not to come here. This is not your place. Not your fight."
"You made it ours when you harmed one of our companions," Crono told him.
Kelke laughed. "Loyalty? To Magus? And do you really think this loyalty is returned?"
Magus began, "I – "
"Don't believe him," Kelke interrupted. "He's an evil wizard. We all lie. You know, I don't see what your problem is." He gestured towards Magus. "He is your enemy. I have defeated him for you."
"He is not an enemy!" Lucca shouted, lifting her gun threateningly.
"Ah, the girlfriend," sneered the Mage. "So, Magus, you're determined to become a good wizard?"
"I already am one, thank you very much," Magus answered coolly.
"In that case, you would do better to go without your magic, you know. Your power is like mine. Lesser, of course, but orientated to evil. For how long will you be able to remain 'good' once you have your magic?"
Magus didn't want to give himself time to think about this. "What's with the chit-chat, Kelke? You scared?'
"Scared? Me?"
"Why so righteously indignant? You are scared."
"I would never be afraid of any of you," Kelke snarled and spread his arms, hands about level with his thighs. His fingertips began to sparkle black, a glow that spread up the lengths of his arms before enveloping him entirely. He disappeared for an instant, reappearing garbed in the black robes of the Shadow Mage. His eyes, when he raised them to meet Magus', were black.
Crono drew his sword almost instantly, Frog quickly following suit. Marle readied her bow, Lucca her gun. Ayla put her fists up by sheer instinct. Robo hung back a little, knowing that his part in this battle would be more to heal than anything else. Schala had her hands resting lightly on her hips. Magus was leaning on his scythe, trying (and succeeding, by the way) to give off an air of confidence, Alfador winding around his feet. Before them all Kelke stood like a dark god, arms down by his sides. He raised his hands, crossing them at the wrist with his fingertips about level with his shoulders.
"You have chosen to battle the Shadow Mage in his own territory," he pointed out almost smugly. "I hardly think that all of you are going to walk out alive."
"I thank thee, wizard, for provoking the Mage," Frog muttered to the good evil wizard, and then the battle was on.
