Start Date: July 26, 2021

Windwillow

Chrono Trigger

Chapter Six

It was a mock trial that the Chancellor had put Crono through. No chance of success - he would be sentenced to death anyway. Strangely enough, though, until recently he'd been much nicer. Regardless, Crono was broken from jail by Lucca and Marle and, lacking a better option, opted to go through an unknown gate.

He immediately regretted it.

Scene One

The desolation was total. The trio could only stare in horror, until Crono spoke.

"W-whatever happened, we gotta find some people. I can see a big thing in the north, so I say we go for it."

Lucca slowly nodded.

"Yeah, but not without shelter. Maybe this place has, like, a few blankets and some water? Let's take a closer look around."

Our heroes returned to the strange structure, now combing through each room they could open. It was less than successful, with Marle finding a few blankets and a pillow or two. Crono didn't find jack.

In the corner of a room, Lucca examined a drawer at the far end. She opened it and spied down, finding a small, cylindrical object the size of her finger. When she read the label, a smile crossed her face.

"Hey, guys!" she yelled. "Let's go!"

Crono peeked through the door.

"But, we only have some blankets and a few scraps to use as coats... you know something I don't know?"

Lucca just smiled. This wasn't her dangerous, "gonna getcha" one, but a sincere one. Keeping that in mind, the party set out.

All around the wasteland was the stench of death and decay. No plant life, no human life, and unbearable winds and rain, of the acid kind. It was thoroughly miserable.

Lucca suddenly stopped.

"Let's set up camp, guys."

Before the other two could answer she pulled out her secret weapon: a small capsule labeled "Capsule House: 1" and after clicking it tossed it into the air.

What happened next stunned Crono and Marle. From the smoke they made out a round, three-domed structure. It certanly looked... frickin' weird.

"And this," Lucca fist pumped, "is our own personal hotel! Come on in!"

The inside of the house screamed 'comfort.' There was a couch and some chairs, a TV, and past the first dome was a kitchen area.

Marle could only mouth, 'amazing', and Crono's response was much the same.

"Hey, Lucca," he said. "Turn on the TV. I wanna know exactly what's going on. I need to know if I have to run away forever, or something. To this Lucca nodded. However, the TV wouldn't start. A few sparks flared until the whole device blew up.

"Well," Lucca sighed, "I never like PPV anyway, or the soaps. For now, I think we can get a bite..."

But when she opened the fridge, only the smell of rotten food emerged.

"... or not..."

The three heroes spent the night there. At least the water was clean. Crono, stereotypically, slept on the couch. God only knows the things he dreamt; but we're a family show, so let's move on.

Lucca pressed a button and the house popped into its capsule. Our trio continued on and eventually reached another structure. Like the first it was domed, withered, and smelly. They made their entrance and, after crossing scrap and steel emerged into a room with dozens of wilted people. They wore rags, skin a dark purple, and coughed at every chance.

"Hey, people!" one of them shouted. "Got any food?!"

Marle shook her head.

The guy sighed and slumped back down.

"Knew it..."

Another Angle

"Impatience"

The Chancellor paced in the throne room, where the King stood atop the throne.

"How the devil did they get away?! If I had half a mind I'd have burned it all down..."

"And then," the King interrupted, "I'd have YOU arrested for domestic terrorism."

"Gah... I never liked botany, but whatever."

"But Nadia...?"

The official shook his head.

"The lot of 'em escaped. Our dear canary has fled her roost."

Guardia could only sit in silence.

"... did I...?"

The Chancellor turned to face him.

The King shook his head.

"No, it's nothing. Continue the search and offer a 20,000,000 Gil bounty to find those two rats."

Scene Two

"They sure smell, Crono," whispered Lucca. "Where are we, a garbage dump?"

Crono knitted his brows.

"Marle's talking to them right now. She'll suss it out."

Lucca removed the gun from her bag.

"Out of ammo. I'll check and find some lead."

Time followed slowly. Marle spoke to the people, Crono sat with sword in hand in case of battle, and Lucca debated with a man near some crates.

"You got any slugs? I can pay for 'em." She muttered, "We're dead when we get back anyway, so screw the price..."

Across from her the machinest cocked his head.

"Slugs? Who uses ammo anymore? I've got a second-hand here."

The weapon revealed was a marvel. It was shaped like her gun, but instead of a revolver it was a semi-automatic pistol. It looked beat-up, though.

"Auto-reload beam generator. Who needs bullets when ya make 'em? Now pony up."

Lucca sighed and emptied her purse. The man recoiled.

"This is money? Well, whatever..."

Our group reunited in a huddle in a corner. Marle was the first to speak.

"They call this place Trann Dome. That's all I could get."

"And," Lucca said, "I've got some mad weapons now. I can stop dialing it back and kick some ass."

Crono paused.

"Hey, I'm hungry."

He turned to the occupants.

"Can I catch a bite around here?"

A pause, and bitter laughter echoed.

"Find some bread'n I'll kiss your feet!" one of them yelled. "The Enertron don't got no taste."

Given the confused look on the heroes faces, an older man cleared his throat.

"We haven't seen food for as long as we've lived. The Enertron keeps our bodies going."

"Come again?"

The man groaned.

"Lost cause. The Enertron over there," he pointed at a large capsule-like machine, "gives you a full night's rest in a few seconds. You'll get the energy you need to do whatever, but it don't fill your stomach. None of us have ever eaten food..."

Marle gasped, as did Lucca. Crono furled his brow.

"Then we just have to find some. Tell us where and we'll come right back. Ain't right to never eat any food."

He stepped forward.

"Tell us where the food is. We'll bring it back to you right quick. I can't let you all starve."

Quiet reigned. None of the disheveled occupants could find words. The older man slowly pointed east.

"If you can get past the ruins east, you'll find Arris Dome. That's the best chance you've... anyone... has. Choice is yours, though. Mean mutants live there."

Crono nodded.

"When I cut 'em up, think they'll taste good?"

Everyone fell silent. Part of it was disgust at eating those things, but more poignantly his selflessness stunned them. All the elder could do was stare at his feet.

"...Go. We'll be right here waiting."

Our group departed. After another two nights in the capsule house, they reached a ruined metropolis. Torn beams and melted buildings met them. Not a person in sight, but rats had infested it.

"So," Lucca said, "we've got to get past here. Assuming we don't get plagued to death by the rats the next dome is due east. I checked the records in the house and pinpointed its coordinates, so get through here and we'll hit paydirt."

Marle groaned.

"Well, let's- what the HELL IS THAT!?"

A distorted, unholy abomination lunged towards them. It had an hourglass figure of twisted and mottled flesh, ooze spewing from the tentacle it called it's face.

Crono unsheathed his blade, and rushed. With a strong diagonal cut he sliced it in two. But when he thought things were over, it wasn't. The flesh of the mutant closed shut and the creature continued forward.

"Crono! Marle! Get back, and get ready to run!"

Lucca pointed and fired three shots. Each blew open a chunk of goo, and as the creature started to regenerate the party ran past with all their might. Finally, after a few meters of space between them the trio slumped to the floor.

"And that," Marle gasped, "really sucked. What were they...?!"

Crono sheathed his sword and rose.

"Something I can't kill. We've got to get out of here quick. There are a ton of huge buildings here we can hide in. Stay close, stay quiet, and get the hell outta here."

It took two days of hiding, running, and fighting to finally pass the ruins. Another day's travel brought them to another dome. This one was MUCH bigger, and had several ruined towers scattered around it.

This was Arris Dome.

Another Angle

"Banter"

"Gghh, this sucks." One of the other dome-dwellers groaned.

Another turned to face him.

"You mean life in general?"

The man shook his head.

"I... want them to bring some food back."

"And how does that suck more than this?"

Leaning against a broken beam, the ragged man said, "I sorta wanna think they could do it..."

"So if they don't?"

He sighed.

"That's what sucks."

Scene Three

Travel through Arris Dome was much the same as Trann Dome. There were a number of 'houses' ranging from an apartment to giant skyscrapers. Further in the Dome, the trio emerged into a large area, with a notable hatch and a series of ragged men, women, and children. They all gasped at the sight of the group, with an old man stepping forward to greet them.

"My name is Doan," he said. "And I must ask your reason for coming here."

Another shouted, "We ain't got space for tourists! Get lost!"

Doan turned.

"Be polite, Hank. We haven't seen visitors since I couldn't walk."

"We're from Truce," Crono said. "Do you have any food to spare?"

Hank rose to speak, but Doan quieted him.

"If there're food to be found," he said, "it'll be below the hatch. My son left us to search, but it's been weeks and... nothing. Go, if you dare, but I must ask..."

A child piped up, "Y'gonna find Daddy? I'wanna see Daddy!" A woman, likely his mother, wrapped her arms around her. No words needed to be said, only a shattered mask on her face.

"Find him," she begged. "I..."

"We will," Lucca said, "so just wait for us. Down the hatch!"

Upon downing the upper areas, our heroes entered into a strange room with two doors, one with a stairwell leading up and another detached beyond a locked door. Two odd rounded orbs were on a pedestal at the north end, and only one of them looked used.

Lucca examined it.

"This button's pressed, but the other has some sort of weird code on it... I don't think I can crack it. Let's move on."

They crossed a series of beams, passing a red rat that zoomed by. Upon entering the next area a giant, human-shaped construct fell from the ceiling.

"The hell?!" Crono cursed. "The hell is that!?"

Marle groaned. "We say that too much here..."

It was a vaguely human-shaped machine, with two stubbed arms on its sides and a statuesque carved face at the top. Two hatches popped open from the chest and out flew two similar-shaped flyers, each head-shaped with antennae.

Truly a mechanical monster. Lasers shot from both bits and the main body in random bursts. While they avoided most of them, one came towards Marle quicker than she could move; Crono promptly brought her away from danger.

"Is Lucca even TRYING to help?" Crono screamed. "Where is she!?"

Several other salvos later and, with the chamber pock-marked like a battlefield, Crono and Marle were cornered: nowhere to run, no way to run, and too exhausted to continue.

"Damn," Crono cursed. "I don't care anymore..."

-... Whatever happens to me. Gotta save Marle...-

Marle sniffed. "I'm scared!"

... I'm scared he'll get hurt 'cause of me...

The monstrosity's eyes gleamed with menace, but shortly after lost its light and collapsed, bits and all, into a series of explosions. At the back of the room, Lucca was breathing heavily.

Crono stared. "Lucca, what the hell happened?!"

Lucca gave a nervous chuckle.

"I switched it off... they had a button back here."

Silence. For all their brilliance, its designers fell flat on that idea. Regardless, the trio entered the next chamber. Multiple containers of questionable odor and a half-rotted corpse awaited.

"Urgh," Marle groaned. "Something reeks."

Lucca examined the containers.

"It all went bad ages ago. The refrigeration must've failed..."

Her eyes turned to the ragged dead body.

"And he must've been wounded fighting the robot. I can see laser burns all over his body..."

Marle cocked her head. "Hm? What's he holding...?"

Crono pried a small, golden seed from the corpse's bleeding hand.

"A seed... might be the only one left. Maybe that's what he wanted to bring his family."

Lucca knelt, and picked up a note written in blood.

"The rat knows the secrets, catch it and see for yourselves."

Realizing the situation, our heroes walked past the robot's remains and caught the little bugger on the next beam out.

"Squeak!" it squawked, "Press the buttons 'x' 'y' and 'z'! But don't blame me for what you'll see!"

The group entered the password in the previous room and it opened the other door, which led to a large chamber dominated by a huge computer.

"Well," Lucca said, "This looks about right. I'm gonna check for time-space distortions... and the results are... southeast to Proto Dome. I think there'll be a Gate there."

Marle jumped for joy.

"It's like you can find anything with this!"

She paused.

"Why is this button red...?"

She pressed it, like every red button begs to be. Before her companions could react a harsh shriek echoed and the computer screen went haywire. A video feed started, with an intro...

"C.E. 1999, visual record of the Day of Lavos."