Disclaimer: Since the name "Madcap Minstrel" is nowhere in the credits of Chrono Cross, it's safe to say I don't own anything.
Chapter 4
Serge opened his eyes and closed them again as the late morning sunlight shone right in his face. He turned over and groaned.
"Ahh, he's awake!" said an unfamiliar voice.
Serge sat up and squinted, his eyes adjusting to the light. A large, dark-skinned woman smiled at him.
"Who are you?" he asked bluntly.
"I'm the mother of that rascal who took you in his boat- that's who!" she chuckled, "Macha's the name. I already know you're Serge. Korcha brought you and your friends here. You and two others were unconscious. He and that red-haired girl were practically up all night watching over you three. The older fellow came to quickly, then the blonde girl about a half hour ago. She's been a little woozy, but she keeps going on like she's fine. Quite a spitfire, that girl…"
Serge breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was all right.
"Your friends are all outside, if you want to see them," said Macha.
Serge got up and slowly walked outside, still tired after last night's events.
"Hey, Serge!"
Kid came over to him, a big grin on her face. Leena, Korcha, and Guile followed closely behind.
"Finally awake, eh?" Kid punched Serge's arm playfully.
"You scared me half to death when you fell in the sea like that!" Leena exclaimed.
"Give yer thanks to Korcha," said Kid, "He's the one that saved us after we fell off the cliff,"
"Really?" Serge looked at Korcha.
"No sweat," shrugged Korcha, "It's just part of my job as a ferryman. But I have to admit, you caught me by surprise falling into the sea like that. You're lucky it was the sea you fell into and not the rocks!"
"You're such a wuss, Serge!" smirked Kid, "How could you get knocked out for so long after such a short fall? I at least stayed awake until we got to Guldove. A little graze…" Kid stumbled back, "…ain't gonna…hurt…me…"
Kid collapsed on the ground.
"Kid!" Serge and Korcha bent over the girl trying to wake her.
"Oh man!" Korcha exclaimed, "She's burning up! Guys! Help me carry her- there's a clinic in this village. Getting her down the ladder's gonna be tricky though…"
With much difficulty, Serge, Korcha, Leena, and Guile were able to get Kid down the ladder and to the clinic.
"It seems the patient has been poisoned with hydra venom," said the doctor solemnly, "I would say she's got about two days before it kills her. If we had hydra humour, we would be able to neutralize the poison, but now that hydras are extinct on El Nido, it's impossible,"
"So that's it?!" exclaimed Korcha, "She's just gonna die??"
"I'm…sorry…" the doctor lowered his head and left the room.
"Wait- where are you going?!" Korcha yelled after him, "Nothing's been resolved yet!"
"Serge," Guile looked at the blue-haired boy, "What are we going to do? Kid is going to die if we leave her like this,"
"I-I don't know!" Serge looked over to the bed where Kid was now resting.
"I'll go find the doctor," muttered Korcha.
He walked over to the door and then stopped. He backed up a few steps.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked.
"What is this?" a familiar voice asked, "No apology for bumping into moi? Have you no manners?"
Harle came in the room and looked over at Kid.
"Just as I thought…" observed Harle, "She is down for the count. Serge, mon ami…" she looked at Serge, "Why don't we leave her be?"
"Who are you to decide Kid's fate?!" demanded Korcha.
"I have no business talking to a chicken-hawk!" snapped Harle, "I am having a conversation with Serge!"
"Why you…" Korcha was seething now, "Don't make me have to show ya some manners! I won't cut you any slack with you being a girl either!"
He charged at her, but she vanished before he could slam into her.
"Dammit!" cursed Korcha, "Where'd she go?!"
Harle's laughter echoed throughout the room. "You are amusing," she said, "It is so much fun playing jokes on you. So long. Serge, mon ami, please dream of me every night, oui?"
"Loon…" muttered Korcha, "Yo, Serge- are all your friends like that?"
"Serge…" Kid mumbled.
Serge went over to the side of the bed and knelt down next to her.
Kid weakly pointed to a small amulet on the side of the table nearby. "I'll leave this…with you. It's my favorite amulet,"
Serge took the amulet and examined it.
"Remember what the…prophet…said? Where did it all start? Where do angels…lose their way…? Try to…remember, Serge. I…I'm feeling a bit tired…gonna rest up…"
She closed her eyes and rolled over.
"You heard what the doc said," Korcha walked over to Serge, "There are no more Hydras. What the hell are we gonna do?"
Serge stood up and looked at Korcha, Guile, and Leena.
"We're gonna find a way to save her," he said firmly.
"So, you even have a clue where to start looking?" asked Korcha.
Serge shook his head.
"That's what I thought," muttered Korcha, "Damn- what are we gonna do?"
The nurse came up to them. "Maybe you could go see the shaman," she suggested.
"Of course!" exclaimed Korcha, "Why didn't I think of that sooner? Come on, I'll take us there!"
"Who is this Shaman?" asked Leena.
"The shaman inherits the power of the Dragon God and governs the village," Korcha explained, "They're like a mayor or chief. The shaman might know something, although I can't say for sure. But it's worth a try,"
"Welcome to the Dragon Shrine," said a young shrine maiden, "I am Steena, a shaman serving Village Chief and High Priestess Direa. I presume that you have come to this shrine seeking assistance? Please don't hesitate to ask Chief Direa for guidance,"
She stepped aside, revealing an elderly woman sitting behind her.
"Where should we start?" asked Leena.
"From the beginning, I suppose," said Serge. He proceeded to tell the two women about what had happened over the past few days.
"Do you speak the truth?" Direa asked in wonder, "You are already dead in this world…that would explain the unfamiliar air about you. As for a way to return to your original world, I do not know. However, there are always reasons why such phenomena occur,"
She stared off into space for a moment. "The Land of Genesis…" she said finally.
"Huh?" Serge scowled.
"Your only key may lie there, connecting your world and this,"
"I don't understand," said Serge.
"If events in your world are different from events here," Steena stepped in, "It may be possible to save your friend. If the hydra still exists in your world…"
"Of course!" Leena exclaimed, "Thank you for all your help!"
"Hey Guile…" Serge said tentatively as the four sat in Korcha's boat.
"Yes, Serge?"
"So…why are you helping us out?" asked Serge, "I mean…you got to search Viper Manor, right?"
"I have my reasons," said Guile calmly, "Lynx has made himself out to be more of a villain than I'd originally thought. I thought he was merely another twisted politician, but after the events that transpired the other night…"
"Why do I have the feeling that there's more to it than just that?" Serge stared carefully at Guile.
"There may be," Guile smirked ever-so-slightly, "But that's to remain secret until the time is right. Don't worry- my intentions are totally honorable,"
The four docked in Termina. After a bit of trouble from one of the dock workers, Korcha had bribed the man with a bottle of "Dragon's Glory" to let them keep the boat docked there. After stocking up on supplies, the party made their way to Opassa Beach.
"So this is where it all started, huh?" Korcha looked around the area.
"If it happened before, it can happen again," said Serge.
"Angelus Errare," Guile remarked to himself, "Has this place truly split the flow of time in twain?"
"Hey, what's that?" Leena pointed to the ground a few feet away from them. A strange green mist was coming out of the sand.
"Bingo…" whispered Serge as he approached the mist. He then took out Kid's amulet, and saw the mist start to swell. Then he saw the ground open up below him. He fell through the hole and landed on his feet. He looked around and saw the same beach surrounding him. However, his companions were gone.
Did I leave them behind?
Just then, Leena, Guile, and Korcha materialized in front of him.
"It felt as if my body were split in two," said Guile absently, "A very strange feeling,"
"Serge!"
Serge turned to see one of the village fishermen running toward him.
"Thanks be to Fate that you're all right!" exclaimed the man, "Your mother's been worried sick! Where were you?"
"It's…hard to explain," said Serge. He turned to his friends. "You guys should go to the marshes. I'll catch up with you later,"
"Okay," said Korcha. He and the others left the beach.
"Serge!!" Marge threw her arms around her son and wept.
"I'm so sorry, Mom," Serge said, "Please don't cry- I'm all right!"
"Where were you?!" exclaimed Marge as she stepped back, "I thought I might have lost you!"
"It's been one nightmare after the other," said Serge, "I can't stay long though. This girl I met, she's been poisoned with hydra venom. I'm going with some people to the marshes to get our hands on some hydra humour. I need you to trust me on this, Mom,"
"What?!" Marge was incredulous, "After disappearing for nearly three days, you expect me to just let you run off again?! No! I won't have it!"
"Mom, I'm sorry," said Serge as he made his way to the door, "But I have to go! Tell Leena I'm fine!"
He ran out the door.
"Wait, Serge!!!" Marge called out after him, "SERGE!!!!!"
An hour later, Serge met up with the others in the marshes.
"Find anything?" he asked.
Guile shook his head. "Afraid not," he said, "These marshes are filled with armed dwarves. We saw them get quite rough on some poor fool who happened to wander into their midst,"
"There's four of us now," Korcha looked around, "I think we can take them on, right?"
"It's either the dwarves or Kid," Serge nodded, "Let's do it,"
The group advanced further into the forest.
"Halt, humans!"
A group of dwarves ran up to them and pointed their spears at everyone's heads.
"We cannot permit you to advance any further!" growled a dwarf.
"The Hydra is the tutelary deity of this forest!" another dwarf glared at them, "Without it, this forest will die!"
"It's a stinkin' animal!" Korcha rolled his eyes, "And we need to save a human being with it!"
"Typical humans!" snorted a third dwarf, "Only thinking of yourselves! Never about the grand scheme of things!"
"You don't even know us and you're assuming all that?!" Leena exclaimed angrily, "This is all about the grand scheme of things! You cannot possibly tell us that your hydra is more important than our friend!"
"Should you wish to advance, you will have to get by us!" yelled the first dwarf angrily.
Serge, now seething with rage, slashed at one of the dwarves with his swallow. The dwarf fell to the ground as his comrades watched in shock.
Guile wasted no time in using his magic on another dwarf.
"You've got to be kidding me!" exclaimed Leena as she hit the third dwarf with her frying pan. Korcha finished him off with a bushwhacker spell.
The four stood looking at the three fallen dwarves.
"That was too easy!" exclaimed Korcha.
"Let's keep going," said Serge.
They continued down the path through the marshes until they reached a large pond. At the edge stood another dwarf. Only he looked older and wore finer armor.
"So you've come here, eh?" the dwarf glared at the four humans, "Befouling the forests like you do…typical human vermin,"
"Cut the crap and step aside," snapped Korcha.
The dwarf laughed. "That is extremely unlikely,"
He held up his spear. "Prepare to receive the anger of nature that you so deserve! Great Hydra! Hear my voice! Teach them of their ways!"
As he spoke, the giant hydra surfaced and slowly made its way to the edge of the pond.
"Shit!" exclaimed Korcha as he braced himself for battle, "Now I know this ain't my world!"
The hydra charged toward them.
A/N: Okay, so as you might have noticed, I've cut down the amount of characters in this story in favor of character development. The main characters in my story are Serge, Kid, Leena, Korcha, and Guile, for now. Most other characters will only appear briefly, if at all. Radius and Norris might play big parts later as well. Oh, and I deviated from the original story a bit with Guile. You'll see why. I'm sure it's been done before.