Forward to the Past
A Chrono Trigger Fanfiction
By: Novalon
Chapter 4: Assassination
195 AD, Guardia Resistance Fortress
"You must be joking."
He surveyed the four assassins in dismay, looking to the one standing in lead, his muscular form disproving any implications of silent art. He turned to woman behind him, whose face was not seen due to a shroud. A similar dressed man flanked her, sending Magus glares at odd intervals. And the last to be noticed was a woman wearing a cloak clutching an intricate spear.
"Why would the General send four magic-dead people to face off against an evil Emperor known for all his delving into the darkness? Does he not realize that he sends you to your deaths?"
The man in lead stepped forward, looking Magus in the eye with a cold glance.
"The Lady Schala attempted to wake something, but failed, though she said power lies within us… if only to be drawn out with the correct incantation."
Magus smirked, "And some muscular ox like yourself is suited to the magical arts? You might as well stick to your martial abilities."
"With all due respect, Lord Magus…"
He grimaced at the title, "I am no Lord; I am merely here to help."
The shrouded woman who spoke hissed, "Then quit belittling our abilities and help us!"
He sighed, trying to remember his training from the End of Time, courtesy of the Master of War.
"Ipso…"
He raised an arm, pointing to the air.
"Facto…"
Swirling the hand around in the air, he pointed to each of the assassins.
"Meenie…"
They glared at him curiously.
"Moe…"
The man in lead smirked, "Quaint, Sir Magus."
"MAGICO!"
The man's eyes grew alight with yellow energies, as his allies glowed other colors of different elements.
"So… what do I call you, wielder of the shining bolt?"
The muscular one stared at his hands in amazement as electricity slowly played around his calloused fingers.
"Um… Tirion, Sir."
He turned to the shrouded woman, "And you, keeper of the Icy brink?"
She nodded, "Miko, my Lord."
He grimaced again, turing to the similarly dressed man, who quickly answered.
"Kage."
"You seem quick to respond, wielder of the sudden flame."
He turned to the woman in back, who clutched the spear as drops of water pooled around her.
"And you, lancer of the tsunami's wrath?"
"Freya." She responded, nearly as cold as his own voice.
He raised an eyebrow, "So, I have awakened what Lady Schala could not. You do realize what kind of power each of you holds, correct?"
The muscular one shook his head, "I'm sure you do, Sir Magus?"
He nodded, grinning at the four beginning mages.
"With your power, you could topple the emperor, and become rulers yourselves, though if any of you do, you will meet a quick end from myself. With your power, I will meld you into fighting machines that will bring peace to this land, and you will be forever recognized throughout the annals of history."
Tirion flexed his fingers apprehensively, "You know of this for sure, sir?"
Magus nodded, "I have foreseen it."
601 AD Guardia Castle
She wiped her forehead, stepping back and looking at the sleek machine in front of her.
"Well, that's nothing Lucca the great couldn't handle, that's for sure."
"As if I had any doubts…"
She turned to the castle, seeing Crono slowly coming down the stairs, hand in hand with Marle, and behind them a green haired man stood, smiling.
"Glenn?" She spoke, surprised.
He smirked, "Dost my guise incur thine trust, milady?"
She nodded, "Of course, I grew to enjoy your company as a Frog, and with you looking much like Crono, I don't think I'd have much of a problem…"
Stepping up to the EPOCH, he smirked.
"Indeed… and a lovely job thou hast done with this machine. I dare say it is a lovely as thine face, milady Lucca."
She blushed, "Oh, you flirt! So… uh… you're coming along?"
He nodded, "Of course. T'would be a greater sin if I stayed behind. I must watch out for all my allies, indeed."
Lucca smiled, before climbing into the driver's seat of the machine.
"So, what's the destination?"
Crono sighed, "I guess we make for the recent ruins of the dark fortress, as odd as that sounds, I am sure that is where we will be battling…"
Marle looked as stern and resolute as she had been previously during the battles against Lavos.
"Then… let's go stop the Emperor and save our ally…"
198 AD Lorien Forest, surrounding area of Guardia Fortress
Tirion leapt forward, his gauntleted fists coming into contact with the Doom Sickle, causing sparks to fly from contact. He spun around, using a low sweep to knock Magus off his foundation, but found the Wizard flying higher into the air.
"What have I been trying to teach you, Tirion? What happens if the Emperor is impervious to physical attacks? I trained with someone who was, and had to make do with using straight magical attacks."
Tirion thought for a moment, before his gauntlets came alive with electricity, conducting the spell rather well.
"Hm… interesting… now how did you pull that one off?"
"The Lady Schala enchanted my weapons, of course."
Magus found himself flying backwards as Tirion leapt up to him, the force of the attack much stronger than it had been before. He found himself fighting to keep a calm mind as Tirion launched attack after attack relentlessly into the wielder of the Shadow.
"More! Use more of your magic, Tirion!"
Tirion leapt into the air, his fists coming together causing brilliant light to expel from them.
"Power of shining bolt! I call upon you! Lightning!"
The attack bounced harmlessly off Magus' scythe as he grinned.
"Pathetic."
Tirion growled, "Do you seriously want me to try this new spell I concocted?"
Magus laughed, "Oh please, I've seen you working on that silly Lightning 2 spell, you aren't even close to…"
Tirion suddenly launched into another furious attack.
"Much like you, Sir Magus, I have kept my magical prowess up since I began learning, now watch what you have not seen."
Magus fell back, surprised as he nearly hit his head passing a tree.
"Power of the shining bolt, I dare to call upon your greatest strength! Empower me with your heavenly brilliance, and grant me the will to overcome the unworthy who stand in my way! I call upon you, Luminaire!"
The bright dome of lightning energy drove Magus back, as he used his power to dodge trees that were flying towards him. As the spell reached it's zenith, he heard a ferocious battle cry as Tirion launched himself from the inside of the dome, using it's power to propel him at a speed almost too fast for Magus to follow. A resounding clang was heard, adding to the expulsion of great lightning energy as the spell finished.
Magus found a gauntleted fist held at bay by the firm metallic alloy of the Nightmare scythe.
He grinned.
"You've mastered your powers well, Tirion. I dare say you are Crono's equal in magical prowess."
He turned to see Kage and Miko battling each other swiftly, their magic canceling each other out. A stream of water shot down a few feet from his position and he watched as Freya expertly slid down it, spear in hand.
"Have you scoped out the enemy's castle, Freya?"
She nodded, "I have mapped out the surrounding countryside of the Dark Empire. It seems we will go unnoticed when the General pulls off a frontal assault."
"We can only hope so…" Magus spoke.
Tirion raised an eyebrow, "But what if we meet resistance from whatever demonic guard the Emperor may have?"
Magus grinned, "I'll take care of the Emperor personally, if I have to."
Freya turned around, shaking her head, "I've heard the rumors about you, that you were once an evil man… what makes you so adamant on helping our Lady Schala? What makes you want to aid our fight?"
He slowly drooped his head, "I… I learned about friendship. True friendship, and the value of family. During my childhood, as I grew up, I knew no such things, save for one person… my sister… and Schala… she uh… she reminds me of her. But as I fought against an evil beast, I learned that after it's death, I had no reason to continue the ways I followed before, in preparation for it's destruction. Thanks to a girl named Marle, I learned to follow a good path once more…"
Tirion raised an eyebrow once again.
"And what of the Dark Emperor? What makes you so adamant about taking him down besides for our Lady Schala?"
Magus grimaced, "I have felt his power before, but I cannot place where… I can sense that he has always been evil, but his power is so vast that I can barely recognize it…"
Freya twirled her spear, "I'm sure you will recognize his face as I set it upon my weapon."
Magus nodded, "Only time will tell…"
Hall of the Dark Empire 200 AD
"Most gracious and powerful emperor… there is cause for alarm…"
The man bristled, his dark powers causing the lights to dim noticeably.
"Has that foolish resistance finally worked the nerve to attack?"
The messenger nodded, trembling as he kept his head bowed and his right fist planted firmly on the floor.
"Th- their leader demands you give up your power and leave their people alone…"
The candles in the room suddenly went out, a chilling wind overtaking the area.
"Well… he can certainly do so, if he has the ability to kill me."
Another messenger came running in and fell to the ground, sprawling, his entire body trembling.
"Most gracious Lord, he who brings dark judgment upon the unworthy! Spare me for what I am about to tell you!"
The Emperor halted his attack with the black wind.
"Yes?"
The messenger spoke slowly.
"The entire garrison of the southern gate has been slaughtered. Someone has breached our defenses…"
The Emperor rose from his throne, striding forward to the messenger.
"What? Who could have done this?"
The man shook all over, "One of the soldiers told me before he died, there were 5… only 5… 2 of them, the great assassins, Kage of the fierce Dragon, and Miko, of whose voice was like a chilling wind. Then, a monk of the dying church, Sir Tirion… and finally, the last Dragoon to still live, one who had survived our most victorious kingdom's brutal destruction of her hometown… Freya."
The Emperor bristled, "Imagine… all of them out to get me… and the other one of them?"
The messenger shook, "The soldier gripped my arm feverishly, said the man looked to be out of hell itself. A cold wind followed that man wherever he went, and he had long flowing blue hair, pointed ears like a mythical elf, and ruby eyes that looked to have seen more deaths than just that garrison. After telling me of this man, the soldier died, his eyes wide with fear."
The Emperor stood, his eyes growing wide as dark power flew to his hands.
"So… that bastard has finally come at last… the great 'Clairvoyant' that everyone speaks of… I know who you are, damn Prophet!"
The messengers ran out of the room, dodging various shadowy energies erupting from their emperor's hands.
"I swear, this will be MY world to rule! I won't be stopped, not after I have obtained immortality!"
He raised a hand to his head, suddenly, a dark armored man ran in, his speed surprising in the massive armor that covered him.
"Yes?" The man's voice boomed.
The emperor slowly strode up to the man, who looked back, unflinching.
"Take your best men to the southern corridor, near the closest barracks, and fortify the area. The Clairvoyant has come to meet his maker at last."
The armored man bowed, "Indeed. The seas shall run deep crimson with his blood."
He turned, and strode away, hardly making a sound.
"Oh, and Sir Yuber?"
He turned around wordlessly.
"If you fail me, that pitiful dark power of yours won't be enough to save you from my anger."
The man nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."
He strode out, shutting the gargantuan doors with hardly any effort.
Same Time
With a flash of light, the wings of time appeared over the castle, as it surveyed the coming war.
"Crono, look at that!"
Crono looked down, grimacing, at all the soldiers pouring out of the castle to meet hails of arrows from the surrounding forests. As the soldiers seemed to shrug off the arrows, a mighty cry arose and a mass of armored men rushed from the forests with glowing swords.
"They won't be able to withstand that…"
Marle scowled, "The text said that the defeat of the Emperor surely stopped the army. He must be enhancing his own troops."
Lucca nodded, "I have an idea. I'll swoop low to the castle, and you guys jump out. I'll help the army in any way I can from up here."
Glenn put a hand on her shoulder, "Keep thine wits with thee, lady. For they will surely save us all."
She blushed as she pressed a button to open the cockpit.
Crono nodded, motioning to Glenn to create a stream of water for the three to ride down into the castle.
However, even this covert attack was being watched.
Same time
The Emperor growled, watching from his balcony as the Wings of Time dropped off 3 nondescript figures to another part of his castle.
"My majestic throne… they have brought it back to me… I will have it back, and rule from the skies once more!"
"No. You will not. In fact, worthless trash such as you don't even deserve to rule over the maggots of this world…"
The Emperor turned, to see a scowling Prophet, and a muscular man with lightning coursing through his gauntlets.
"Prophet, what a pleasant surprise… surely you met with Sir Yuber?"
The man next to him brought his fists together, "He is being taken care of, demon."
Magus brought a gloved hand to his scythe, bringing it out swiftly. He shook with unbridled anger as dark magic swirled around him.
"Dalton… your worthless hide should have been destroyed during the Dark Ages… I will see to it that I will succeed where Marle did not…"
Dalton, the Dark Emperor, rose to the air, the black wind slowly pushing back his enemies.
"Ah, but you see… I have become stronger than you could ever wish. My gracious Lord, Lavos, brought me back through another gate, with the power to take over Guardia, and bring this world to it's knees, so that he will later rise up with no resistance!"
Magus stood strong, his billowing cloak whipping nearly as fast as his flowing blue hair.
"You say you have grown strong because of Lavos, Dalton? Well, without Lavos, I succeeded in becoming the greatest Mage of Shadow ever to exist. Now what would you think, knowing that the Magic-dead Prince of the fallen kingdom attained a great power while being subservient to no one but himself?"
Tirion grimaced, "I have no idea what the Clairvoyant speaks of, but I do know that your time is coming to an end, demon."
The Emperor growled, bringing a fist up outlined with wisps of Shadow magic.
"You little brat! All grown up, I see… after I dispose of you, your beloved sister, Schala, will be next!"
Tirion stopped suddenly, his magical energies halting for the briefest instant.
"Sir Magus… you are the Lady Schala's brother?"
Magus waved a hand, "Pay it no mind now. Worry about our opponent."
Dalton batted the two back with the black wind into his throne room, away from his balcony, as the walls crumbled.
"Yes, fallen prince, there is much to worry about. Like the ending of your wasted lives!"
Tirion jumped up, Magus following next. Both gave each other a nod before dashing toward their opponent.
And somewhere, far away, Gaspar watched, wishing for a better change to the timeline.