Chapter 10: The Hero Appears
Act One
August 8, 600
The Gate opened. Out stepped Crono, Marle, and Lucca. Robo followed a few moments later.
The year 600 seemed the same as they had left it. The canyon was completely unchanged. Even the two imps were still there, kicking around the ball-like creature.
"Well," began Crono, "here we are."
"Let's do this," Lucca added. "Let's save the world."
On the way out of the canyon, Marle began to clutch Crono's hand.
"I'm sorry I cried in front of you," Marle apologized.
"Don't be," Crono assured her. "Everybody cries."
"I just feel weak," she continued.
"You're about to go down in history for saving the world," Crono assured her. "That's not something a weak person would do."
Marle giggled and kissed him on the cheek.
Everything he said seemed to make her feel better.
MEANWHILE...
The throne room in Magus' castle was dark, illuminated only by candles. Magus sat on his throne. Slash and Flea were in the corner.
A large Mystic approached the throne. He was green, weighed at least four hundred pounds, and had his tail sticking out.
"What are your orders, sire?" he inquired.
"Guardia is preparing an invasion, Ozzie," Magus replied. "Go down to the Zenan Bridge," Magus commanded. "We need all of the reinforcements we can get. There's no way they can reach the castle before the summoning. Let nobody through."
"Understood, sire," Ozzie said as he bowed.
SOMEWHERE ELSE...
Less than an hour later, Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Robo arrived at the north end of the Zenan Bridge to see the menacing drama unfolding.
"Sir!" called the Knight Captain. "You cannot cross the sun bridge. Magus' troops are occupying it!"
Lucca turned to Crono, Marle, and Robo.
"This was the Battle of the Zenan Bridge," she explained. "This was the last major battle of the Mystic War. Magus' castle exploded soon afterward."
"So we don't have much time," Crono observed.
"Our rations have run out!" muttered the Knight Captain. "Have the supplies from Guardia Castle arrived yet?!"
"We cannot defeat Magus's army by ourselves," one of the soldiers lamented. "Our only hope is the hero."
"I never believed those stories about the hero and his legendary medal," added another soldier. "Now it turns out he's our only hope."
"They're short on supplies," Lucca observed. "If we go to the castle and get some rations, would they let us through?"
"I think they would," Crono replied.
"What about this hero?" Marle asked. "Could he help us?"
"I wouldn't get your hopes up," Lucca warned. "The hero was a ten-year-old boy named Tata."
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Marle.
Act Two
"Halt! Who goes there!" bellowed the guards as Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Robo approached the castle. They then realized who they were. "Oh, it's you again. Magus's troops had us cornered but the appearance of the hero saved us."
"The hero appears," Lucca said, trying not to laugh.
The four of them entered the throne room to find the throne empty.
"You won't find the king here, Crono," the chancellor announced. "He was injured in battle. He's recovering in his chambers."
THE KING'S CHAMBERS...
"Oh, Crono," lamented the bed-ridden King Guardia XXI, "I've let down my kingdom. Since we cannot locate Cyrus, our sole hope rests on the boy who has the hero medal. He searches the southern continent, for the sword that can defeat Magus."
"Cyrus must have sent the boy to us," added Queen Leene."
"Your majesty," Crono began, "they're holding onto the Zenan Bridge. But they've run out of rations."
"The royal chef should have made more," the king said. "Hopefully."
"Hopefully?" asked Marle.
"The royal chef and the Knight Captain are brothers," explained the king. "And they don't exactly get along."
Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Robo went down to the kitchen. The royal chef was dashing around the kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off.
"Excuse me," Crono began. "The Knight Captain is out of rations."
"What?" exclaimed the chef. "My brother?! That's what you get for thinking that you're the only ones fighting for your country!"
"Hey!" called a waitress. "Stop bickering! Grow up!"
"Pipe down!" snapped the chef. "What do you know?!"
"Men are such fools!" huffed the waitress.
"Hey, hey, come on now!" the chef hissed back.
Crono sighed and turned, realizing that the chef wasn't going to be any great help.
"Wait!" the chef called.
Crono turned to see the chef with jerky in his hand.
"Take this with you!" he insisted. "And tell that fool. He had better come back alive!"
LATER...
"Sir Crono!" called the Knight Captain. "Is that for us?"
"It is," Crono relied as he handed him the jerky.
"Food rations!" exclaimed the Knight Captain. "The cook…he has saved us all! Sir Crono, if I do not make it back, give my brother my thanks."
Suddenly, a soldier came frantically running up the bridge.
"What is going on here?!" the Knight Captain demanded.
"Magus's troops have launched an attack!" the soldier announced frantically. "They're breaking through our defenses!"
"Stop sniveling!" ordered the Knight Captain. "It shames us! We shall destroy Magus's troops and bring honor to our king!"
"But we are far outnumbered!" the knight protested.
"This is our last line of defense," the Knight Captain insisted. "We must let no one through!"
"Understood!" the knight acknowledged before turning around and marching down the bridge.
"Our troops are suffering greatly," the Knight Captain said. "Sir Crono, will you assist us?"
"Of course," Crono agreed. "We need to get across anyway."
"We are eternally in your debt!" the Knight Captain said. "You will find Magus's troops across the bridge!"
Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Robo began their trip acroos the Zenan bridge. They soon perceived three live skeletons and Ozzie standing over the remains of three unlucky knights.
"I'm Ozzie, Magus's top general!" he greeted. "Those who dare defy Magus have to answer to me!"
"We've fought worse," Crono warned as he drew his sword.
"Is that so?" Ozzie taunted.
Suddenly, the skeletons, armed with spears, began to advance on the time travelers.
"Yes my children," taunted Ozzie. "Give them a taste of doom!"
Crono managed to strike all three skeletons, smashing each one to pieces.
"Those fools are stronger than I thought!" Ozzie exclaimed as he turn and ran.
"Wait up, already!" Marle called as the four of them began to give chase.
"He's pretty swift when it comes to running away," Lucca observed.
They caught up with Ozzie fifty yards down the bridge, where there were three more fallen soldiers.
"We've got him," Robo announced.
"Seems I misjudged you," Ozzie said. "But I won't do that twice! You're through!"
The three fallen soldiers suddenly began to stand. Moments later, they were skeletons.
"This guy doesn't quit!" Marle exclaimed as she drew her crossbow, destroying each skeleton one by one.
Ozzie quickly turned and ran again.
They found him at the south end of the bridge.
"Drat!" growled Ozzie. "That's it. Now you're finished!"
"Don't mess with Crono, or you'll really be sorry!" Marle warned.
"Oh, will I?" Ozzie taunted. "Who is he, your squire?"
"No," Marle dismissed. "He's my boyfriend."
"Your what?!" Ozzie exclaimed. "Never mind. Go Zombor! Crush Sir Magus's enemies!"
Suddenly, bones came flying from all directions. A few moments later, a giant creature, ten feet tall and made entirely of bones, stood a yard away from them.
"I don't have time for this!" Lucca sighed as she drew her weapon. She then fired it at Zombor, blasting it to pieces.
"You had a laser blaster?!" Robo exclaimed.
"So that's what that is," Lucca said.
The four of them then turned around. Ozzie was nowhere to be seen.
"Should we go after him?" Robo suggested.
"We'll probably deal with him again once we get to Magus' castle," Lucca replied.
Crono then turned to see the Knight Captain approaching.
"Thanks to Sir Crono, we held the bridge!" he complimented. "But, unless we defeat Magus, this is an empty victory."
Act Three
Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Robo stood at the opposite end of the bridge.
"So this is the southern island," Lucca observed.
"Magus is somewhere around here," Crono said. "Let's finish this."
"You okay?" Lucca then asked Robo, who seemed rather quiet.
"Mystics are extinct in my time," Robo replied. "I am curious about their evolutionary history. My thermal sensors suggest they are cold-blooded."
"What does that mean?" asked Lucca.
"Only fish, amphibians, and reptiles are cold blooded."
The four of them trekked about a mile before coming to a town. One that three of them were unaware of.
"Where are we?" Marle asked. "I've been to the southern island, but I've never seen this town before."
"This is San Dorino," Lucca replied. "It doesn't exist anymore."
"What happened to it?" Marle asked.
"No one knows," Lucca replied. "In the present, it's empty desert."
Upon entering the doomed town, Crono saw a familiar face outside the elder's house.
"I want you to find the mythical 'Rainbow Shell,'" the elder commanded. "Here's some front money. We're counting on you Toma!"
"Hey, no problem!" Toma replied. "I'm the mythical explorer. Good match, chief."
"I'll be waiting for good news," the elder said.
Toma then began to make his way toward the pub.
"With that settled, I'll grab a bite before I go," he said to himself.
"You know him?" Marle asked.
Crono nodded.
"I met him while I was looking for you," he replied.
"Could he know where Magus' castle is?" Robo suggested.
"He might," Crono replied. "If I buy him a drink."
INSIDE...
"You again?" observed Toma as he noticed Crono sit down next to him at a pub.
"Me again," Crono replied.
"Don't tell me you're after the Rainbow Shell," Toma asked.
"We're after Magus," Crono replied.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Toma. "Do you have a death wish or something?"
"Far from it," Crono insisted. "We're going after him to save the world. We know he's around here somewhere, but we don't know where he is. Do you think you might?"
"I know I might," Toma replied. "If you buy me a beer."
Crono bought him a beer.
"Magus's lair is on an island to the east," Toma began.
"How do we get there?" Lucca asked.
"You can't," Toma replied. "Sheer cliffs make it inaccessible. There's supposedly a cave that leads to it, but you'll never beat him. It's a lost cause. Try finding something else. Like the Sun Stone."
"Don't underestimate us," Crono insisted.
"What's your sword called?" asked Toma.
"It's just a sword," Crono replied.
"Therein lies your problem," Toma informed him. "Just any sword won't do. Only the ancient sword, the Masamune, can defeat him. And only the hero can wield it! You can go down to Porre and talk to him if you want, but I don't think he'll be interested."
"Don't underestimate us," Crono repeated.
August 9, 600
They stayed at the inn for the night. In the morning, they set out for Porre, crossing a forest that was no more in their own time.
Along the way, they passed a villa, where a young woman of twenty was standing outside.
"Marco?" she called out as they approached. She then squinted. "Sorry. My husband Marco hasn't returned from the war. But these woods mean a lot to us, so I'll guard them until he returns."
"No worries," Crono assured her. "Best of luck to you."
The woman then went inside.
"That's Fiona San Dorino," Lucca pointed out.
"Who's she?" asked Crono.
"She died trying to save the forest," Lucca explained. "They never found out what happened."
"The soil probably became infertile," Robo suggested.
MEANWHILE...
Ozzie knelt in shame in the throne room as Slash and Flea looked on.
"You failed," Magus said.
"Sire," Ozzie sheepishly replied, "the ones who defeated me had weapons more powerful than I could have imagined."
Suddenly, Magus' eyes widened.
"What did they look like?" he inquired.
"The guy had red spikey hair," Ozzie replied. "There was a girl with long hair in a pontytail. There was another girl with weird things in front of her eyes, and a strange-looking knight."
Magus' eyes widened further.
"That will be all, Ozzie," he said.
Utterly relieved, Ozzie quickly left the throne room.
"They're back," Magus said to himself.
SOMEWHERE ELSE...
Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Robo entered the Porre Tavern to find Toma sitting at the bar.
"How did he beat us here?" Marle asked.
"I haven't the foggiest," Crono replied.
And then, Toma noticed them.
"Hey, you again!" he greeted. "How about buying me a beer?"
"Forget it!" Crono dismissed. "We came here and found no trace of our friend Tata!"
"Maybe he went to the Denadoro Mountains," Toma suggested.
"Come again?" Crono asked.
"Did you know?" Toma replied. "They say the mythical Masamune lies deep within the Denadoro Mountains. But it's guarded by terrible beasts."
"That is one dead kid," Lucca said.
"How does everyone know he's the hero, anyway?" Crono asked.
"Because he has the Hero's Medal," Toma replied. "Of course."
Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Robo stood in silence for a few moments.
"That's it?!" Marle exclaimed. "He could've gotten that from anywhere!"
Lucca suddenly had an epiphany.
"I've got a hunch who that medal's rightful owner is," she said.
