Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to Chrono Trigger in any form or fashion, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fic.
Reviews: WOW! The Meeny Moe spell really worked wonders! I hearby offer honor to where honor is due and bow to Spekkio! Or to The Dragon Sorceress! Or both!
ShadowCatYumi08: Hahaha, thank you and I hope you will continue liking the characters as they develop! And actually, I'm not entirely sure if it's a novelization as such or a story or whatnot. Whatever, it's fun to write! ;)
SaiyanLegend1: Thank you! I kept Heckran cave, for side purposes, but modified it, as usual. I am indeed a Lucca/Magus fan, they are a great combination of maniacs, probably the best I've seen ever ;) And thank you in Marle's name! I don't think her stupid, although at least partially ditzy. But she is definitely not an Aeris type of a heroine and I wanted to show that. Lucca will continue having struggles with magic and the arcane for quite a while yet, since it will become quite an issue later on. As for Cyrus and Glenn, I think they're only the brotherly kind, although who knows ;) On the other hand, I do think there was some Cyrus/Leene action, and I intend to make a mention of it, though without going to deep into the matter (the fic is horribly long as it is!) And thanks again for reviewing:)
zipis1: Hahaha, I can't wait for the Lucca/Magus parts either, and I can only hope those won't be disappointing. I am definitely going to try my best and will probably hurry through the less relevant parts. On the other hand, from now on Magus is present in every chapter, as Lucca is trying to dissect him in advance ;)
The Dragon Sorceress: Wow, that protest really worked! (Or Spekkio's magic formula, though I'm more willing to believe in the first ;)) And thank you very much for both the praise and reviewing!
Shaded Mazoku: Thank you! I was indeed trying to balance it out and keep up with the atmosphere of the game and start off with full lightheartedness to slowly slip into darker climates. And I'm glad you liked my take on Lucca, she's really fun to write that way and offers great creative opportunities!
Ronarah: Thank you and I hurry to supply! I'll try to keep up a decent speed of updates too!
GoldenSunGeek: Then mayhap a Magus clone...? ;) Thank you for the barrage of reviews but don't feel obliged to review! I'm glad to have any, so whenever you feel like it – or not – is more than enough for me! ;)
Indigo Tantarian: Hahaha, everybody is looking forward to Magus! I'll try to meet the expectations then ;) And thanks for reviewing :)
Note: This chapter is a filler, meaning that I invested into building atmosphere and introducing a few facts and ideas that will be returned to later on. Just like most of the reviewers, I'm really looking forward to doing the Magus' Castle part, since it was one of the things that inspired the fic. I don't know how long it will take, but probably two or three chapters only!
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Chapter 06 – Mages, Crossbows and Drunken Parties
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The house was small and cheerful, with creamy walls, a green roof and an odd mini-tower. Basked in the glow of the sunset, it looked inviting and certainly non-ominous. Keeping up with politeness, Crono raised a hand and knocked on the wooden door. They didn't have to wait long for a response.
"Come in, come in, whoever you are!"
The door opened with a slight creak under Crono's hand and the weary travelers stepped inside. The found themselves in a cozy room, with a kitchen to the side and wooden stairs nearby, leading down, probably to a basement. At the table near the window sat a figure familiar to Crono and Marle. Still dressed in his colorful attire of blue and orange and with small round glasses up his nose, Melchior looked just like he did... some days ago, they had no idea whether the same amount of time passed for him as it had for them.
Melchior was turned towards them with a jovial half-smile. "Welcome! Here to buy some weapons, I presume?"
"Actually," Marle began, taking a step closer to Melchior and his table, "we're here sort of by accident. On Medina, I mean. Do you know how we can get to Zenan?"
"An Imp told us that you might know," Lucca added.
Melchior regarded them carefully. His eyes slid over their dirty clothes, the red dust still clinging heavily to their hair, the unmistakable spots of bruises and the dark smudges of oil on their skin. But the longest his eyes lingered on Marle. Most specifically, on the small pendant hanging on her neck.
"There's a boat owner on Zenan who comes over every two months and brings me supplies. Or takes me there and back when I so desire. But I'm afraid that you're a day too late. I came back from the Millennial Fair only yesterday, and he won't be coming here again for over a month."
A collective sweatdrop appeared behind the group. A month on Medina...?
"But don't worry," Melchior waved dismissively, "you can also go through the Heckran Cave. It's in the mountains to the north; you probably saw them on your way here."
They nodded in confirmation. Yes, there were some mountains not too far away to the north.
Lucca frowned. "But a cave? If it's connected to Zenan under the sea, then it's going to be quite a trek. If I recall right, Medina Continent is at least fifty miles away from Zenan."
"No, no," Melchior waved again. "There's a warp in there."
Lucca pushed her glasses up in incredulity. "A warp...?"
Melchior nodded contently. "Indeed. It takes you straight to the shore of Zenan. Or at least close enough."
Getting up casually, he moved towards the kitchen, gesturing for them to follow. "You see, I sometimes chat with the Mystics who live in the cave. I fix their weapons, and let me tell you, those need fixing often!"
While talking, he picked up a kettle and filled it with water. "Tea?'
"If it's not a problem, then with pleasure," Marle smiled at him, sitting down on the kitchen chair near the small table.
"None whatsoever, my dear. And you two?" Crono and Lucca didn't have to think long about it and nodded, muttering their thanks. Melchior added more water to the kettle and pulled out four cups from the cupboard. "Those Mystics told me that to go to Zenan, you just have to jump into a water shaft at the end of the cave and you'll be delivered straight to the sea near the shore of Zenan. So basically, either whoever had set the warp up botched the job, or the water level had risen considerably since then."
"But a warp...?" Lucca questioned, thinking about her Telepod. As far as she knew, her invention was the first of its kind on Zenan! Most scientists even questioned the possibility of teleportation! "How did it get there? And how does it work?"
Melchior stroked his bushy yet well-kept moustache. "I don't have a faintest idea. Some things just have to be accepted as they are, I guess."
Lucca was about to protest, but Melchior waved her aside. "The more important thing is that the Mystics who live in the cave truly hate humans. They tolerate me, since I'm useful, but I doubt they'd appreciate a few humans dropping by to use the warp. And to make the matters worse, many of them are quite scaly and rather on the impenetrable-by-steel side, so it's said that only magic can bring them down."
"Actually, we sort of know magic," Marle grinned, without really thinking whether it was safe to tell people that they knew magic.
"I see," Melchior replied after a short pause. "Then you should make it through."
"It doesn't astonish you that we know magic?" Lucca asked, sitting down next to Marle.
The water in the kettle was boiling already and Melchior poured it in to the four cups. "I've lived a long life and I've seen many things. If I can accept a mysterious warp, why not magical humans?"
"Good point, I suppose," Lucca agreed idly.
Melchior chuckled to himself. "Indeed. But enough about that. You young ones look tired and quite run-down, to be honest. If you want to, you can stay here tonight. I don't have much food, being an old bachelor, but I'll add a decent dinner to that tea."
The three 'young ones' glanced to each other. It was a very generous offer, especially since Melchior didn't really know them. Although considering that he lived among human-hating Mystics, there were probably very few things that he feared.
"Thank you," Marle smiled at the hospitable old man once more.
"My pleasure. I don't get many visitors here, especially young and pretty," Melchior replied, his eyes twinkling over the rim of the cup as he took a sip of his tea. "Unfortunately, I have only one spare bed, but I do have some blankets, so you should manage. You can also take a bath, if you so desire. The bathroom is right over there," he gestured towards the door in the back.
Lucca stretched slightly. "Then if you don't mind, I'll do so at once. I'm practically falling asleep on my feet."
"Go right ahead. The facilities are rather old-fashioned, but this is Medina after all."
The facilities were indeed old-fashioned, Lucca found once she entered the bathroom. The bathtub was large and wooden, with a water pump next to it and a stone-covered hearth underneath. Meaning that she had to first get a fire going and then significantly add to her tiredness level by pumping up the water, but it was more than worth it. Although she was not obsessive about cleanliness, the amount of grime on her had long since passed acceptable levels.
But the long hot soak also added greatly to her drowsiness, so she was only half-aware what she was doing afterwards. After lazily pulling on her still dirty clothes, she stumbled back to the main room. The dinner was already waiting for her; her companions had lent Melchior a hand and produced a surprisingly tasty stew. Plopping down at the table, she wolfed down her portion, only vaguely aware of the conversation between Melchior and Marle. They were talking about life in Medina and Mystics in general. Or something.
Once the warm meal was resting comfortably in the depths of her digestive tract, Lucca pushed herself up from the chair again.
"The guestroom is right next to the bathroom," Melchior gestured as she got up. "I've already laid out some blankets."
"Crono volunteered to sleep on the floor, so we can have the bed, if you don't mind sleeping together," Marle added, a spoon full of stew firmly in her hand.
Lucca waved vaguely. "That's fine. I doubt I would notice it even if you snored like a hog."
Ignoring Marle's indignant 'I don't snore!', she headed straight for the spare bedroom. Like the rest of the house, it was simple yet cozy, and a great improvement from the filth-flooded room in Arris Dome. Taking off her helmet, utility belt and orange smock, she deposited them on a chair nearby and sat down on the bed to pull off her heavy boots. They stunk, she noticed idly, and pushed them under the bed. Setting her glasses down on the nightstand, she plopped down on to the bed. It was only semi dark, the dusk was still in full swing, but the light was too dim already to be a nuisance. Something at the back of her head was telling her that it was interesting that they had left Proto Dome in the evening, yet arrived to Medina in mid-afternoon, but she swatted the bothersome thoughts away. Even the mind of a genius needed a respite sometimes.
Whether Marle snored or not, Lucca didn't find out that night. When the chirping of some overly frisky birds outside woke her up, it was bright morning again and her companions were already missing from the room. Yawning, she sat up on the bed, reaching for her glasses. Nope, Crono and Marle were still not in the room, even with enhanced vision.
"And one, two, three!" Jumping out of the bed, she performed a few energetic stretches and bends. Screw fitness, some exercise in the morning improved blood circulation and thus further added to her already restored brainpower. And today, she was going to need it, there was a lot to be done. They had to get to Zenan, she had to modify the Gate Key, then research the war and establish some doable course of action. And find answers to at least some of the questions that were swirling in her mind already. Contrary to popular belief, the life of a genius was very demanding.
Wasting no more time, she collected her possessions and stepped out of Melchior's guestroom.
"...so a crossbow would be good for me?" Marle's voice wafted into the main room from somewhere below, probably the basement.
Setting her helmet firmly on her head, without trying to restore the order of her hair – there had never been any order to begin with, so why bother – Lucca headed down the wooden stairs. They led to a spacious cross between a workshop and a study. A tall cabinet full of books stood to the side, the scrumptious tomes practically begging her to come inspect them closer. The walls were full of weapons, mostly swords of various shapes and lengths.
Marle and Melchior were standing in the middle of the room, discussing the sleek looking crossbow that was resting in the Princess' hands, while Crono was quite predictably busy inspecting the swords on the walls.
"Yes," Melchior replied, stroking his moustache, "if you don't mind my saying so, you're too weak and inexperienced to start off with close-range combat. And with a crossbow you can keep enemies at bay from afar."
Marle raised the crossbow to her eyelevel, experimentally taking aim. "It is very light, and feels comfortable but... I don't really have much money on me." She offered Melchior an apologetic smile.
Lucca yawned and did a few more stretches. "I bet Crono still has some. Probably more than enough, he mugged at least a dozen guards!"
Crono turned from where he was standing captivated by a fancy looking sword. Frowning, he inspected his pockets and soon produced a large pouch and some loose coins. To his surprise it turned out to be more than enough to pay not only for the crossbow, a holster and spare arrows, but also the red sword he had been admiring. Needless to say, he didn't even hesitate.
"Are you sure it's okay, Crono?" Marle asked with a slight frown. True, she could always repay him later, but considering her current status as a runaway princess, it wasn't all that clear when that could be.
"Hmmm?" Crono glanced up from his new sword. "Yes, don't worry about it. Easy come, easy go." It really did come easy; to be quite honest he was surprised himself how successful he turned out to be at mugging. He had been so successful that he could even take it up as a lifestyle, wasn't it for the inherent dangers of such an occupation. ...And the vulnerable moral aspects, naturally.
"Weapons...," Melchior sighed. "If there weren't evil in this world, there would be no need for weapons. What a sad state of affairs..."
Deciding that having an early-morning philosophical discussion of the pragmatic impossibility of a utopian world with a weapon-maker was not on her agenda for the day, Lucca addressed the more pressing issues.
"Are you guys ready? We should get going as soon as possible." She turned to Melchior. "How far is to the Heckran Cave?"
"Oh, not far," he gestured vaguely, weighting the distance mentally, "no more than an hour's walk. You should find it easily, there's a path leading straight to the cave."
"As for the cave itself, I would advise you to keep to the shadows and avoid the Mystics as much as possible. You may know magic, but some of them can still prove to be quite a problem."
Marle fitted on her new leather holster and was adjusting the straps. "We don't really have a choice but to go through the cave. We sort of have a mission to do, so we have to hurry up."
"A mission, eh?" Melchior smiled under his curving moustache. The group glanced to each other thoughtfully, unsure what to say if he asked what the 'mission' was. He seemed tolerant and understanding, but telling people that they were going to travel 400 years to the past to stop the dark mage who had almost overturned the Guardian Kingdom from destroying the world in a 1000 years could prove to be a challenge no matter whom the hearer was.
But Melchior saved them the trouble. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to ask about the details. You're clearly young adventurers, now properly armed," he gestured to their new purchases, "and young adventurers need to have secret missions. So off you go!"
The group grinned relievedly, grateful for his easy-going attitude. Without wasting any more time, they thanked Melchior for all his help and hospitability, promised to drop by some time again, and set on their way.
Left alone in his small hut, Melchior sighed warily, walking over to the window to watch the departing group. "How fickle fate is," he said to himself, shaking his head and thinking of the small blue pendant on Marle's neck, "how unpredictable."
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"Wow! You're getting good at it, Marle!"
"Thanks, Crono!" Marle beamed at him and stepped off the path to retrieve the arrow she had successfully sent into a tree. The trek towards the Heckran Cave was rather monotonous, so she had soon decided to practice her skills with her newly acquired crossbow. It was challenging at first to hit a target, since she had never done it before, but it soon turned out that Melchior was a great weapon-maker. The crossbow was light and handy and yet had side-holders for six extra arrows, meaning she could fire seven before having to nock another set. And pulling back the string was much easier than she expected. As far as she knew, normally it required quite an amount of physical strength, but her new crossbow had a nifty lever under its mainframe and a set of innovative gears. So in two pulls the string was retracted and a new arrow ready to be fired. With a little practice, she could be firing very rapidly.
Pulling her arrow out of the tree, she returned to her companions. It was indeed very easy to find the path and they were steadily drawing closer to the tall mountain range ahead. The weather was just as sunny and perfect as it had been on the day before. Birds chirped, flowers bloomed, trees swayed gently. This, Marle decided while taking aim once more, was how she had always imagined adventuring. Hopefully, it would last.
"You know," Lucca said suddenly from where she had been walking behind her, "something's bothering me."
"Mosquitoes...?" Crono offered, swatting a few of the insects away. The pesky buzzers were the only downside to the lush green scenery of Medina.
"That too," Lucca agreed, squashing one of the perpetrators on her arm. "But mostly something else. Let's assume that Magus did exist, and was some kick-ass powerful mage, who created Lavos, although I don't even know how's that possible. Yet let's just assume it was and that his objective was to exterminate the humans, ergo destroy the world. Then why didn't he do that at once, in 600 A.D? Why Lavos remained hidden for almost 1400 years and only then caused the cataclysm?"
Marle and Crono looked back to her, considering the question.
"And I don't want to hear that Lavos had to freshen up before the party," Lucca added sternly, eying Crono who was already opening his mouth.
But Crono waved her reprimand aside. "That's not what I was going to say. I have another question. Assuming everything you just said, let's say we find Magus before he creates Lavos. Then how are we going to stop him...? By saying 'Excuse us, Mr. Evil Mage, could you please abandon your plans because it will destroy the world? We know that's the idea, but we'd rather you didn't.'...?
Marle returned to taking aim, the crossbow at her eye level. "That, and if it doesn't work, we'll fight him." She pulled the trigger and with a soft thwack sent another arrow into another tree.
Crono shook his head. The crossbow had already greatly raised Marle's feistiness level – apart from being indeed very becoming for her... – but the Princess just didn't know what she was saying. He however had fresh memories of the sickening crunch of flesh being torn apart, of the agonizing squeals of pain and the sudden silence of death. "It's not that easy, Marle. Sending arrows into trees is one thing, but imagine that your target is just as alive as you. And to make sure that Magus would never create Lavos, we'd have to kill him, not just defeat him."
Marle's hand hesitated as she reached for her arrow. What if that arrow was stained red...? "But..."
"Kill!" Lucca jumped up suddenly, her eyes widening behind her glasses. She stopped walking and her companions turned to her in astonishment. "Kill, assassinate! It's just like that Diablos told us! Like Marle said! That Magus was assassinated because he was about to create Lavos! Don't you see what it means!"
Crono frowned, unsure where her hyperactive brain had taken her this time. "That we would have to act faster than those assassins because they obviously failed...?"
Lucca waved impatiently and fixed her glasses. "No! What if WE were those assassins? What if WE have killed Magus?"
Crono glanced to Marle, somehow relieved to see she looked just as confused as he felt.
"Lucca, what are you talking about?" Marle asked finally. "How could we have killed Magus...?"
Lucca shook her head and took a deep breath. "It's simple. There's a theory saying that accidental temporal distortions – such as the Gates – can cause infinite time loops. Such a loop has neither a logical beginning nor an end, and within it, events no longer follow the logical sequence of occurrence. So in other words, we have already killed Magus in the past, even though we haven't done it yet. And now we have to go do it, even though – as you just said – we know we will be too late to prevent him from creating Lavos."
Crono let out a pained groan. She just had to do it! The day had been so nice, the weather was perfect, he bought a perfect sword, had a bath, everything was going great! And now he was beginning to have a major headache. Next to him, Marle was rubbing her temples with an equally pained frown.
Fortunately, Lucca noticed their pitiful state. "If you'd rather, you can think of it as predestination. That we are destined to kill Magus, even though it would be after he crated Lavos, but..." Suddenly, she paused and then half-shrugged. "On the other hand, it's just a theory. And besides, we still don't even know if Magus really existed. And going back to the past is the only thing we can do anyway."
Crono and Marle were eying her suspiciously, half-expecting that she was just toying with them and would launch into another headache inducing lecture any moment now. But since Lucca only stood innocently and quietly on the path, her hand up to fix her glasses, they dared to drop their guard.
"So...," Marle prompted, "we're still going to go on with the plan...?"
"Yup."
Audible sighs of relief escaped the lips of her companions. Neither would ever dream of denying Lucca's vast brainpower, but the unfortunate truth was that the said brainpower often left them confused and downright befuddled. Crono in particular knew how it felt. He had been subjected to such mind-numbing lectures for years now, yet still hadn't found any working defense mechanisms. Personally, he shared Marle's views. Of course, he could understand the necessity of knowing what exactly they were doing, but if there was only one thing they could do, then that was what they should be doing.
Shaking his head to alleviate some of the uncomfortable pressure within it, he turned back towards the mountains and resumed walking. Marle, still with a somewhat confused expression, followed in his tracks. Behind them, Lucca walked on jauntily, full of scientific excitement. If they really were following an infinite loop, then she would be the first person ever to confirm the existence of the phenomenon! Naturally, it would mean that they wouldn't defeat Lavos that way, but there would probably be other means. Plus, it would mean that they wouldn't have to worry about altering their times, since their actions – the actions they hadn't undertaken yet, but which had already taken place at the same time – were to happen anyway!
And if they weren't stuck in a loop, then she would still have an opportunity to find out whether it was possible to alter the past. And that in itself was a major opportunity, one that could clarify dozens of temporal paradox related theories. Either way, she was going to solve some very heavy temporal dilemmas!
The prospect was making her skin tingle in excited expectation. And in view of such prospects, finding out whether Magus really existed or not was just an added bonus. ...Although a very personal bonus, considering Mr. Riverbed's stuck up attitude.
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"I don't believe it!" Marle whispered in honest disbelief, sticking her head into the vast cavern. "They're completely drunk!"
Crono peeked around the corner too, craning his neck to look above Marle's head. "More like severely hangovered, but for our purposes it's just as good!"
Lucca walked around them to have a look too. They had found Heckran Cave easily, just like Melchior told them they would. The path led straight to a gaping entrance shaded over by the forest that grew at the foot of the rocky mountains. They had entered it cautiously, mindful of the human-hating Mystics that were to dwell inside. The cave turned out to be not just one simple cave, but a complex of grottoes and caverns, linked by winding corridors, carved within the rock both naturally and artificially. Water was present almost everywhere within the premises, in multiple forms. It dripped from the cold stone walls, rivuleted on the uneven ground, pooled into surprisingly deep puddles and streamed as creeks and ponds, carving into the caverns.
Everywhere, they could see proofs of the Mystics living within the caves. Torches were placed on the walls in regular intervals and numerous wooden barrels and boxes littered the corridors. Many of the caverns bore signs of having been adapted into living quarters and were furnished with shabby wooden cots, tables, the works. But the Mystics themselves were surprisingly scarce and the few they had encountered seemed so out of it that they went down without much fight. The only worthy opponents they kept running into were bats, perhaps because those were Mystic Bats; animalistic, but magical. They proved almost impossible to hit with conventional weapons, always avoiding the sword or arrow at the very last moment. But magic they didn't see coming, so the group had fully used the encounters to practice their still very fresh skills. Lucca was already starting to have some ideas on the nature of 'magic', but brushed those thoughts aside for the time being. It had to wait; they had more important things to focus on.
The mystery of the pitiful state of the Mystics explained itself once they stumbled upon an enormous cavern, deep within the caves. It was strewn full of pretty much unconscious Mystics of various types, empty barrels, broken chairs, knocked down torches and indented tankards. The heavy smell of half-digested alcohol was hardly needed to confirm what had transpired within the cavern.
Whatever the Mystics had celebrated so vigorously, they couldn't have chosen a better time for it. Thanks to the resultant weakened state of both their consciousness and their ferocity in pursuing their human-hating hobbies, the trek through the caverns was proving to be but a breeze.
A sudden splashing sound coming from somewhere further down the uneven corridor interrupted their contemplation of the post-orgy scenery.
"Hmph!" said a gruff voice from the direction of the splashing sound. "Look at him! That's supposed to be a guard?"
The three warp-travelers-to-be glanced to each other. It would be best to avoid a confrontation; the noises of a fight could wake up the army of Mystics resting in the cavern behind them. Hastily, they looked around, searching for a place to hide.
"There!" Marle whispered in a hiss, trying to keep her voice down to a minimum. She was pointing to two barrels standing in a shadowy corner of the corridor. Without hesitation, they rushed behind them, squeezing themselves into the shadows in between the barrels and the wall.
"Oh, give him a rest," said another low voice from the end of the corridor. "Everybody was excited that the plan worked."
More splashing sounds followed, softer this time, sounding as if somebody completely wet was walking. Sitting in the middle of the group, Marle ventured a peek in between the barrels. Through the small gap she saw two creatures, obviously Mystics. One was of a kind she had never seen or heard of before; strangely misshapen with a preposterously long beak and an oblong head. The other she guessed to be a Naga-ette, although it appeared to be a male naga, since it had neither a bra nor the breasts to cover with a bra. Both were completely soaked and were leaving wet marks on the stone floor as they walked.
The long-beaked Mystic humph-ed again. "I still don't know how he managed to pull it off. He's an idiot!"
The male naga shrugged. "Who cares? As long as we can get something for ourselves out if it, he can be whatever he wants!"
Shaking off droplets of water, the two Mystics passed the group and entered the cavern full of their drunken companions. Marle looked to her own companions, mouthing 'plan...?' Neither seemed to have any more of an idea than she did. Behind them, the two newly arrived Mystics were trying to roughly rouse their overcome comrades. Soon, coarse curses and rude dismissals rumbled in the cavern and the only three humans in the area knew it was their cue to get lost. They were about to overstay their welcome.
Lucca poked her head out from behind the barrels and took a look around. Nobody seemed to be there to see them make their retreat. Slipping out from their shelter, she crept down the corridor and towards the cavern the two Mystics had come from. The splashing sound, their wetness and the mention of a guard made it quite clear that the water shaft they were looking for was right ahead. Half-crouching in the shadows, Marle and Crono followed her and all three crept along the wall and into the small cave at the end of the corridor.
Cautiously peeking inside, they spotted their destination at once. The water shaft was in the back of the cave, surrounded by wet splashes left behind by the arrival of the two Mystics. But in between them and their target waited the guard. Or rather slumbered, since judging from the empty overturned barrel next to him, he too took part in last night's celebrations. The three couldn't be more thankful for it; the guard looked somewhat intimidating indeed. Massive and bulky, he was covered in thick blue scales head to toe. His disproportionally enormous arms ended in vicious and long claws and a line of sharp long spikes run down his back. In short, he looked like the result of a water dragon humping a gorilla. If one believed in the existence of dragons, that is.
Mindful not to make any noise, they detoured the scaly monster and approached the shaft.
"Ladies first," whispered Crono with a grin, gesturing towards the smooth surface of water.
Marle secured the crossbow in the holster and grinned back. "Don't mind if I do!"
Without hesitation she took the plunge in to the water, splashing more of it onto the stone floor around. Crono and Lucca leaned over to take a peek after her, but it was too dark in the cave for them to see anything within the water. In either case, no oxygen bubbles were rising from the depths, no signs of struggle were noticeable and the surface was already calming down.
Well, Lucca thought as Crono motioned for her to follow, you can only live once. Keeping her glasses in place with one hand and waterproofing her nose with the other, she took a bomb dive into the shaft after the Princess.
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"Lucca!" the loud voice of Taban reverberated around the walls as soon as they stepped into Lucca's house. "My only child!"
Without further warning, Taban grasped his daughter and pressed her firmly against his fatherly chest, skewing the glasses on her nose. Lucca sighed, giving into his overly emotional display. Resistance was futile; it was a truth she had known all her life. Her father was the best father she could ever ask for. He supported her interests no matter what they were, always had a worthwhile advice ready when she needed advice and never tried to control her life under the guise of fatherly love.
Unfortunately, he also suffered from a classic case of an 'inventor's personality'. Easy-going and often forgetful, he approached life with the enthusiasm of a child, which often resulted in emotion-powered displays, be it of fatherly love or of an inventor's satisfaction.
This time however, he was going to pay a price for his eruption. Her clothes were still thoroughly wet and his were now sponging in the water. They had emerged from the sea only some fifteen minutes ago, and quickly found that they had been delivered to the vicinity of Lucca's house. Incidentally, that was exactly where they were headed. Although it still remained to be seen how much time had passed since they had left Guardia, they had left it during a prison break out. Marching straight into Truce was the last thing they should do, especially considering how fanatical the Chancellor had been about chopping Crono's head off.
Thus, Crono's house was off limits, at least during daytime, and Marle's house... was the heart of the problems, so to speak. Lucca's house was a safe haven in comparison, and they could only hope that no royal guards were spying on it.
Taban finally let go off his ruffled daughter, but only to clasp her firmly immediately again. "You were gone two full days! I was so worried you too would be executed! My precious daughter!"
Well, at least they knew what day it was now, Lucca thought as she was being once more pressed against the fatherly bosom. Interestingly, it was also exactly two days for them since they had jumped into the Gate in Guardia Forest. So once more, time had been flowing with the same speed on both sides of a Gate, whether they were there or not.
But her father was already regaining his inquisitive side. "What happened? You obviously managed to save Crono..." he gestured to his daughter's companions, who were standing near the door. "And the girl from the Fair!"
Leaning his head down to his daughter's ear, he brought his voice to a whisper. "So is she really Princess Nadia...?"
Finally free of the emotional storm, Lucca fixed her askew glasses and straightened her wet clothes. "Yes, but she prefers to be called Marle. Right, Marle?"
"Yup!" Marle beamed at Taban, conquering him immediately. "Nice to meet you, Mr. ... eh..." Embarrassed, she realized she didn't know Lucca's surname, but Taban waved her concern aside.
"It's Mr. Ashtear, but call me Taban, Your Highness. Everybody does."
"Just Marle," she replied, smiling again and strengthening their rapport.
Taban turned to his daughter once more. "So what happened? Where have you been? Are you hungry? ...And why are you all wet?"
Heading towards the table, Lucca took off some of her wet garments, helmet and smelly boots included. Plopping down on the chair, she launched into a detailed story of the events of the last two days. Her father already knew about the Gates and time-traveling, but their story now reached into even more incredulous zones. Fortunately, since he was just as scientifically inclined as she was, he could accept it in knowledge, not just faith, so it shouldn't take too long for him to grasp their current situation.
While Lucca was summarizing their adventures so far, Marle inspected the Ashtear household. On their way, Crono warned her that Lucca's house was not exactly an average house and that she should prepare herself. She didn't need to, having no idea what an 'average' house looked like. All her life she had lived in a medieval castle full of servants and guards, where everyone addressed her as either 'Her Highness' or 'Princess'. If Lucca's house was abnormal, then hers was not far behind, if not ahead, and thus she had no norms to judge against.
Yet even without knowing the norms, she could see that Lucca's house was not what an average person would expect from a house. For one thing, it was built more in the style of an inn, with half of the house being a two-storey high common room, while the other half was divided into separate levels, but with a gallery up on the second storey. Yet the unusual architecture was among the less noticeable things about the house. The most noticeable factor was the overwhelming presence of books. They were everywhere; on shelves piled up against the walls, on the table they were sitting at, on the strange counter that cut into the room, on the comfortable looking armchairs near the window, on the small table next to the armchairs and, most prominently, on the floor. The books were just strewn around, some open, some closed; as if they were in constant use and putting them away would be but a waste of time.
It wasn't just books, however. Also blueprints, diagrammed on vast sheets of paper; they were pinned up on the walls, piled up in baskets, streaming down the table and the counter. And if anyone needed further proof that this house housed inventors, the odd machines plunked here and there practically trumpeted it to the world. Some large, some small; some looked half-finished, others clearly unfinished, wires pouring out of them like futuristic intestines. Around each laid a pool of tools and parts; hammers, screwdrivers of all sizes and shapes, pincers, soldering tools, inducers, wires, plates and objects so beyond her recognition that Marle didn't even try to name them.
Crono told her that there was a large room in the back of the house, next to kitchen, that Lucca and Taban used for their scientific rituals, but that said rituals always spilled out into the rest of the house. She could see clearly what he meant, although she'd sooner say 'flooded out' rather than 'spilled'. And yet, despite all the machinery, despite the mess and the dust that was piling up here and there, the house held some undeniable warmth and ease. It wasn't just that it was made of warm wood; it was something within the overall atmosphere. As if it heralded to the world that its occupants were people who treasured their freedom and who cherished inner values above appearances and simple labels.
Yes, Marle decided firmly, she liked it here. Personally, she would clean up a bit, at least enough to clear the floor, but the general idea was very much to her liking.
"So that's the story...," Taban murmured, stroking his messy beard. Lucca just completed the account of their journey to the future and of what they were to do now.
"Yes, and now we need to gather information on the Mystic War and Magus, just in case we're not stuck in a loop. But since, as you say, we're still on the wanted list, you need to go to the library for us."
Taban nodded pensively, scratching his beard once more. "I see what you mean. Any specific fields of interest?"
Lucca frowned in consideration. "All the happenings since the abduction of Queen Leene up to the end of the war. And also, everything you can find on Magus and the supposed assassination. Oh, and since I think that Mr. Oakleaf might know more than the schoolbooks say, ask him if there were any rumors of Magus being human." She was not a particular expert on history, but she had read a few books more on the Mystic War than it had been required for school, yet none had ever mentioned the story of Magus being assassinated because of Lavos. It seemed quite likely that certain facts could've been purposefully concealed from the official story of Guardia. Hopefully, Mr. Oakleaf would be willing to share those.
Taban wrote down her instructions and stood up. "Right on it! It might take some time, so if you kids are hungry, feel free to forage for food in the kitchen. Whatever you find, is yours." Winking at them conspiratively, he marched out of the house and headed for the Royal Library.
Hearing that Taban would not be cooking, Crono suppressed a relieved sigh. Both Taban and Lucca were in the habit of reading while cooking, which often resulted in dishes that could easily be classified as biohazard. Mistaking sugar for salt was an everyday occurrence, nobody even noticed it anymore. Only mistaking machine grease for soy sauce could actually faze the two inventors. And even that wasn't certain since they usually read also while eating and thus often remained oblivious to what foul concoction they were consuming.
"Right," Lucca stood up from the chair, picking up her previously discarded possessions. "Then let's dry up first and then get to work. I need to modify the Gate Key and then go pick up Robo. There's no need for him to pointlessly wait for us at the 'End of Time' when he could be doing the same here. Plus – and I feel stupid I haven't thought about it before – that only three people can go through a Gate at the same time, doesn't mean we can't travel in a larger group."
Her boots dangling from her hand, she headed towards the stairs leading to the upper floor and motioned to the other two to follow.
"How so...?" Marle asked cautiously, following and trying to avoid stepping on any of the objects on the floor.
"It's simple. Three people go through a Gate, then one comes back and brings the remaining one."
Her companions, who had been half-expecting to hear some mind-boggling theory, blinked in surprise.
"That really is simple...," Marle agreed slowly.
Lucca turned back to them with a proud smile. "Sometimes the simplest things take a genius to see!'
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"I agree, Madam Lucca," Robo said as they were walking through the woods around Leene Square, "Endeavoring to track down the one called Magus is the most reasonable course of action at the current moment."
Lucca waved at him, telling him again not to use titles. "Just Lucca, Robo."
"I apologize," he replied with a polite bow, once more reminding her that politeness and servility towards humans was probably one of the imperatives of his programming.
Following the woods, they soon left the vicinity of Leene's Square and headed back to her house, careful not to get too close to either Truce or the main road to Guardia Castle. It was almost evening already and the thickening dusk shielded them from any prying eyes, but one could never be too careful, especially when being a wanted criminal. Yet reaching Leene's Square, or rather the northern part of it where the Gate was located, was actually quite easy. The area wasn't fenced or guarded, and nearly blended into the woods, meaning that sneaking in there from the back was hardly a problem.
She had done so effortlessly some half an hour prior, carrying a modified Gate Key. Her judgment had been right; all that was needed to reach the End of Time was to overload the Gate, be it with the energy of animate entities or with an artificial signal. The new improved Gate Key now contained the option to emit and sustain an amplified signal, ergo, to go to the End of Time. Or not, which was always a bonus.
The weird old man was still asleep under the lamppost when she reached the odd floating street corner. Despite having many questions related to the nature of the End of Time and to the presence of the old man within it, she didn't wake him. There was always time to ask those questions later, whereas at the moment they had much greater worries.
So once she collected Robo, who had been in the 'sleep' mode, they returned straight to Leene's Square and headed back to the small island she lived on. On the way, she conveyed to Robo the same summary of their adventures she had presented her father with earlier on. To her pleasure, Robo agreed not only that tracking down Magus was the most reasonable course of action at the moment, but also that in view of the data they possessed currently, the existence of Magus could be put into question.
Yet as the neared the island and stepped onto the old wooden bridge that linked it with the mainland, Robo added something she didn't expect.
"It would be illogical for me to accompany you on the journey. My presence could be detrimental to the objective of locating Magus."
Lucca turned to him questioningly, pushing her glasses up. "How so?"
"According to my database, the people of 600 A.D. were a pre-industrial society. They could react negatively to my presence, thus obstructing the task of collecting information."
Walking down the wooded path to her house, Lucca considered his analysis. Unfortunately, he was right. The people of the Middle Ages would probably react very negatively to Robo, perhaps even accusing him of being a Mystic.
"I will remain here and repair myself, if that is acceptable."
Lucca nodded. "Of course. I'll show you to the workshop, you should find some parts there."
Inside the house, they found that Crono and Marle were already back and were sitting in the armchairs under the window. Using the cover of the dusk, Crono had ventured to his house to reassure his mother that he had not been executed. He took Marle with him as a means to placating his mom and Marle gladly conceded of the idea, wanting to see how Crono lived.
"So? How's your mom?" Lucca approached the two and sat down on the chair nearby. Robo bowed politely and received a friendly 'hello!' from Marle.
"She was all worried, of course. She really didn't know what to think about the whole thing."
"How did she take the news that you're going to be missing for a little longer while traveling to the past?"
Crono smiled sheepishly while Marle giggled slightly, covering her mouth. "Errr..."
Lucca cocked an eyebrow. "Let me guess, she was so happy you brought a girl home that you didn't even need to tell her about time-traveling." Crono's mother didn't make it much of a secret that she wanted her boy to find himself a nice girl and produce some grandchildren. "And when you told her you're going to be away for some more time, she only said 'be careful, dear' and invited Marle to come over again, correct?"
Crono rubbed the back of his head and his sheepish expression intensified. "Something like that..."
Next to him, Marle blushed slightly. Lucca pushed her glasses up. Interesting. Crono's mom most likely said something to the spirit of grandchildren and it was making the two act quite embarrassed. Usually, Lucca was quite oblivious to the romantic going-ons of people, having very little interest in the matter herself, but she'd have to be blind not to smell the roses, so to speak. Still, it was none of her business. Crono was both sensible and old enough to know the dangers of getting involved with the Princess. If he still wanted to, despite the practical impossibility of the relationship, it was his private matter.
Getting up, she motioned for Robo to follow and led him to the workshop in the back of the house. Robo's AI centers seemed to be working fine, meaning that her impromptu repairing session in Proto Dome was holding up fine, but his casing still needed repair. It was extensively indented and heavily rusted. Luckily, she had some spare tempered metal plates, so he should manage.
She showed him around and gave him her permission to use anything he needed to repair himself. Returning to the others, she entered the main room just as her father entered the front door.
"Tada!" Taban was holding a thick wad of scribbled sheets of paper and waved them cheerfully. "I am now an expert on the Mystic War!"
Lucca crossed the room and parked herself once more on the chair. "Found anything interesting?"
"Actually," Taban replied, moving to sit down himself, "I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
The three young ones looked to each other, all pretty much indifferent to the order of news. "The bad news," Marle said finally, "it will make the good news seem better."
Taban nodded and cleared his throat a bit. "The bad news is that the war ends around a month after the abduction of Queen Leene. So you're not going to have much time to find Magus."
Lucca frowned pensively. "We might be already too late... A month is a very short time, all things considered."
"...It's actually less than a month," Taban confessed apologetically. "Around a month after Queen Leene's kidnapping the rumors of Magus' disappearance – or assassination, take your pick – began appearing. So whatever happened to him, it must've happened before then."
Lucca got up and began pacing the room, her mind wrapping around the problem. "But if the supposed Magus was killed because of the rumors that he was about to create Lavos, he must've done it not long before his death. The assassins didn't make it in time, naturally, but it had to be sometime around then. We might still have a chance. Of course, that's assuming Magus existed and created Lavos. And that we're not stuck in a loop–"
"No!" Marle waved frantically. "No lectures about loops! We stick to the plan. We go there, we hurry, we find Magus and stop him from creating Lavos! In short, we take the chance." Taking a deep breath, she turned to Taban. "And what's the good news?"
Taban beamed at them. "The good news is my daughter was right!"
A surprised silence fell upon the room. Lucca pushed up her glasses. This was news because...? "Meaning?"
"Meaning that Oakleaf fellow from the library does know much more than the books convey. And, he was eager to share his knowledge. There were rumors of Magus being human and that was why the majority of historians omitted most accounts of his appearance."
"Let me guess," Lucca cut in, "because it's not very uplifting when one of your species decides to exterminate it and it's easier to keep the blame to the Mystics?"
Taban beamed again. "Exactly!"
Marle leaned forward in her armchair. "So Magus was human...?"
"Nobody knows; that's the fun part. See, there are some personal accounts of Magus that have lasted to this day, but even those are too vague to settle the matter. Plus, many of those are fake. After the war, when it became apparent that Magus disappeared without a trace, many wannabe heroes claimed that they were the ones to have taken him out. There was one in almost every village, apparently. They confabulated basing on the widespread rumors of how Magus looked like, which weren't very specific to begin with."
Pausing, Taban shuffled through the papers full of his half-intelligible scribbles. "Ah, there we are! The characteristics agreed upon are: that – obviously – he was built like a human, was tall, had red eyes that could shine in the dark – reflect the light, if you ask me – and had unnaturally pale skin, usually described in terms of 'as if he was already dead'. Oh! And that he fought using a scythe – apparently he had a sense of style... or humor – and that his magic was so powerful that most people shat their pants when he was rumored to be in the area."
Three pairs of incredulous eyes looked to him, surprised by his 'expressive' choice of words. Taban waved their censure aside. "Don't look at me like that; it's a direct quote from what Oakleaf said. He likes naming things for what they are, I think."
"But...," Marle blinked slowly, "how could he be a human looking like that?"
"That's what I said!" Taban beamed once more, the papers rustling in his hands. "But Oakleaf told me that many of the mages recorded in history were described as 'human but inhuman'. For example," he shuffled his notes again, "Kaluve, a dark mage from circa 300 A.D. was also rumored to be unnaturally pale; was said to have eyes so light-colored that they were almost white; had pointy ears like a Mystic and a hooked nose. ...The last thing is of course common among humans too, but you can see what I mean. It was hard to say what they were, and no historian ever had a chance to interview a mage."
Lucca frowned and resumed her pace through the room, skillfully avoiding stepping on any of the objects on the floor. Lifetime of experience was to be thanked for the skill. "'Human but inhuman'... Isn't it possible that they were literally both human and inhuman?"
Marle stared at her, astonished, as the full implications of what she said dawned on her. "You don't mean..."
"Actually," Taban cut in, "it's a viable possibility. If such mages were born out of a Mystic-human union – be it voluntary or forced – then that would explain their odd appearance and inhuman powers. At least partially, since mages were usually said to have powers surpassing those of most Mystics."
Marle looked from him to Lucca and back. Children between Mystics and humans...? Somehow, it had never occurred to her that there could be such unions. True, not all Mystics were animalistic, and not all humans were... picky, but...
Lucca paused in her tracks, pushing her glasses up pensively. She was much more willing to believe Magus had really existed, assuming he was indeed half-human half-Mystic. The ugly aspects of life, the ones swept under the rug, were usually the truest. But it still left many doubts concerning his powers, the creation of Lavos and the timing of the events.
"Incidentally," Taban broke the silence, "Kaluve, the hook-nosed mage, used to haunt the Forest Plains, north of today's Porre. It took quite an army to take him down. And in 585 A.D. the village of Norin, located on the same spot, was destroyed by Magus with the total of 31 people killed and 47 wounded. It's the first recorded mention of Magus and the next one wasn't until two years later, when he leveled another village, Veste, this time killing almost the entire population."
Crono, who had been leaving the conversation to the other three, shifted in his chair. "585 A.D.? But that's 15 years before the war..."
"Please, Crono, at least have the decency to pretend you know something about the war," Lucca glanced to him in mock scold. "The Mystic War lasted years, what was it...? 8 years?"
"Yes," Taban agreed, "but that's dating only since the official royal decree announcing war on Magus and the Mystics. The conflicts had been escalating for years before then, but it was difficult to declare war on those who neither had a separate country nor were considered citizens of Guardia."
Lucca frowned once more. It seemed odd that the war lasted for so long. If Magus really had the powers to create Lavos – although she still had no idea how was that even possible – then totaling Guardia's army should've been a breeze to him. And yet the war lasted eight years, with many more unofficial years of conflicts. Was he gaining those supposed powers in the meantime? Or maybe he didn't create Lavos at all? But then, how did Lavos come to be and why did the Mystics claim that it was Magus who created him?
Sighing, she rubbed the bridge of her nose. There was no way they could solve the puzzle at the moment. Only going back to the past could answer all those questions, starting from the existence of Magus and ending on the origin of Lavos.
"All right, now tell us where we could possibly find Magus and then let's go over the events of the last month of the war."
They had spent the rest of the evening going through Taban's notes. Or rather, she did, since once the subject became more mundane, both Marle and Crono's interest waned, until they sauntered off to invest their time in practicing their magic skills. It didn't matter much to Lucca. She would remember the data and was going to take the notes with her anyway.
Once the night fell heavily upon the forested island, they went dutifully to sleep, to get as much rest as possible before springing into action – and the past – on the morrow.
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Since this chapter is a filler, I will graciously restrain from casting any nefarious spells.
... But I wouldn't mind hearing opinions on the slower pace and the handling of scenes!