Start Date: November 7, 2021
Windwillow
Chrono Trigger
Chapter Thirteen
Atop the Denadoro Mountains, Crono and his group discovered the remains of the holy sword Masamune, retrieved from two imps of unknown origin. They met with Frog once more and, leaving him inconsolable, discovered a name etched on the Masamune's hilt.
"Melchior."
Scene One
"Okay, TALK old man!" shouted Lucca. "You made the Masamune?"
Melchior nodded.
"But we found it in the middle ages!"
He nodded again.
"How is that even possible?! AND DO NOT NOD AGAIN, you son of a-"
Crono clamped his hand over Lucca's potty mouth.
"The important part is fixing it," he said coolly. "You can do that, right?"
Melchior fell silent, pensive.
"Dammit you old bat! TALK-"
Now Lucca stopped Crono, turning and shaking her head at him. He sighed, calmed down, and sat on the ground.
Melchior held his chin.
"It would take an inordinate amount of time to explain everything, so I'll cut to the chase. Yes, I can fix the Masamune. The caveat being, I need Dreamstone to do so."
"Dreamstone? Never heard of it."
"That," Melchior sighed, "is the problem. It no longer exists. In the remote past it was worth more than gold, but now you can't find it. You'd have to go back to prehistory to do so!"
Crono stood up and grinned.
"'Kay! We will!"
The group left, leaving Melchior to fall back in his chair. He sighed again, cracked a smile, and laughed out loud.
"That's my part of the plan, right!? Hah!"
Another Angle
"His Part of the Plan"
Crono's group arrived and shortly departed for 65,000,000 B.C.E. Spekkio shuffled from his room, looking very different from what the party saw.
"So?" he asked. "Did the old fart figure it out, the plan I mean?"
The old man laughed.
"He's on to it, I'm sure. Once he fixes the Masamune the next phase starts, and it's HIS turn... Hope he pulls himself together long enough to finish the damn thing."
Scene Two
The problem with this Gate was, the ground beneath it didn't exist. Our heroes plummeted to the ground below, with Marle catching the group with a sheet of ice.
Lucca rolled over and yelled, "Stupid Gate! Why can't space-time distortions be more convenient, huh?!"
"Quiet," said Crono. "I hear something... someone..."
From the bushes a monstrous creature emerged. It was scaly, green-skinned dinosaur-man hybrid, clad in a leather loincloth.
Crono groaned.
"Oh HELL no."
He charged his blade and swung it, but Byakko was caught by the creature. While it pierced its skin it couldn't break through, leaving Crono to disengage. Lacking a physical response he blasted it with lightning, causing it to convulse and slump to the ground. That being the strange part.
"It isn't dissolving," murmured Lucca. "So it isn't a Mystic...?"
A sound reverberated, as a throng of dinosaur-men emerged into the clearing. There were at least a dozen or more, all lined up neatly in a row. Marle broke into a cold sweat.
"We can't beat all of them," she gasped. "What are we gonna-"
At that the head of one creature met the foot of another, a human draped in loincloths. She had bushy blond hair, a full figure, and muscles to make a body builder feel inadequate. Because they'd been lined up, several of them were taken out at once, but three remained.
Marle slammed her hand to the ground as her enemy approached, erecting a wall of ice that blocked, parried, and froze solid the beast. With all her might she kicked it and shattered the creature.
Lucca's foe was promptly riddled with bullets.
As for Crono's, he took no chances and blasted the damn thing's head off.
With the battle over, the mysterious woman pounced Crono. Trapped on the ground, he tried desperately not to focus on her cleavage. From above she smiled, rose, and lifted him from the ground.
"You strong," she boomed. "Ayla like strong men."
She turned to Marle and Lucca.
"Ayla like strong women, too."
Lucca angrily adjusted her glasses.
"I don't swing that way!"
The woman inspected Crono again, feeling his muscles and squeezing his face. She seemed satisfied, and turned to leave.
"Wait," Crono said. "Can we have some Dreamstone?"
Ayla blinked.
"Stone? Plenty stone. Come with Ayla. What name?"
Crono composed himself.
"Crono."
"Ah," she said, "name is Cro. Ayla is Ayla. Come with Ayla, have party!"
She dashed off, leaving the heroes to stand in confusion. But the party sounded fun, so they followed her.
Scene Three
It was nightfall when the party started. Everyone gathered in a large common area in the center of Ayla's village, which was, of course, filled with cave men and cave women dressed as she was.
"This Ayla friend, Cro," she yelled. "Cro friends, Marle, Lucca. Party!"
That was the extent of the proceedings.
As several of the primitive citizens danced wildly around the bonfire, Crono, Marle, and Lucca stayed above on a plateau to the north.
"Well, I didn't expect this," sighed Lucca. "At least we aren't the main course."
Marle nodded.
"I was scared at first, but everyone's so friendly!"
A large man hobbled over, holding a stone bowl of some strange liquid. He offered it to Lucca, saying, "Rock smash! Head feel smashed like rock when drink!"
She slowly took a sip of the poi. Then, another, and then she downed the whole bowl.
"Damn this is good! Crono, y'gotta try this stuff! I'm gonna get some more!"
Lucca descended the plateau, leaving Marle and Crono. Marle slowly sat down on the ground, as Crono followed.
"Are you okay, Marle...?"
"It's just... everything at once. We're trying to save the world, and now we're here... Can we even do it...?"
Crono extended his hand to Marle, smirking.
"Don't know till we try. Wanna dance?"
Marle smiled, nodded, and headed down to dance. The dance was wild as wind and thunder, pounding heads and bursting drums. They sang and danced all night, so to speak. From a distance, however, a young blond boy eyed Crono suspiciously.
"Cro!" called Ayla.
He approached, as Ayla plopped down on the ground.
"Cro fight Reptites. Reptites fight humans, try kill. Ioka fight. No fight, Laruba. Ayla chief, so Ayla fight..."
She pointed to a brilliant red rock next to her, one that shined like a dense, brilliant ruby. It was thick and craggy, but beautiful.
"Want stone? Have stone! Want stone? Win stone! Drink Rock Smash till Ayla no can, get stone!"
Crono nodded slowly. He'd never had alcohol before, and this was the crash course of crash courses. Another villager provided them with huge stone bowls, and exchanging grins, they both began to drink. It was rather sweet. No wonder Lucca liked the stuff.
He held his alcohol better than he thought. The drinking contest lasted nearly half an hour. Steadily the party waned as everyone piled over to watch... save Lucca, who was just smashed in a corner cackling. Slowly Ayla hesitated, stopped, and belched.
"Ayla drink no more," she moaned, falling back. "Cro get stone."
And Ayla GETS stoned Crono thought.
She pumped her fist high.
"Good party! Keep drinking!"
"I thought you couldn't drink any more..."
Scene Four
Crono came about at around 7:00 A.M., finding himself laying next to Marle. He jolted, but she opened her eyes and smiled.
"Morning," she cooed. "That was a great time last night!"
And no, nothing... unsavory happened. They just fell asleep next to each other, so don't get nasty. Even so, the image of a guillotine danced through Crono's head.
Lucca laid sprawled on the ground several yards away, snoring, until Crono nudged her awake.
"Okay, drunk girl," he laughed, "We gotta go."
"Drunk?!" yelled Lucca. "Liar! I was a perfect lady last night! But I do have a stomach ache... Eh?!"
Marle rolled over.
"What's wrong, Lucca?"
Lucca was in full panic mode. The Gate Key was stolen. They had no way out of the past! And letting her drink any more was a bad idea, so the gang entered Ayla's tent, where she laid sprawled out like Lucca. Crono shook her awake.
"Ayla! Someone robbed us!"
She rolled over onto her feet, belching.
"Ayla find!" she yelled. "Talk to villagers!"
They did so. None of them had noticed the dinosaur prints in the square, but one of the village women had seen a boy named Kino running away from there. Ayla and the rest caught up to him in the southern jungle.
Ayla grabbed him and shook him.
"Kino! What do?!"
Kino averted his eyes, then sighed.
"Kino take Cro thing... Ayla no like Kino, like Cro..."
Ayla bopped him on the head.
"Ayla like Kino BEST! No want steal! Give Cro back thing!"
He shook his head.
"No have. Reptites take."
Another Angle
"Sneak Thief"
One of the Reptites had mugged Kino, and now swung through the jungle holding the Gate Key. It didn't recognize the technology, but it looked like something its master Azala might want.
"Strange tool," it said. "Azala want to see..."
Scene Five
Traveling through the jungle was a hassle. Dinosaurs and other beasts menaced the party, the heat was stifling, and now a large expanse separated them from the next bank.
"Well, Marle," Lucca said, "you're up!"
Marle nodded, placed her hands out, but gasped, "It's too hot! The ice just melts!"
Lucca hung her head, which also made it hurt.
"What then?"
Ayla gestured towards a large vine, crawled up, and swung to the other side. Crono turned to face the girls and, Lucca especially, looked back in terror.
"We can't make that!" shouted Lucca. "Try harder, Marle!"
Marle shook her head.
"I can't! We'll have to swing like Ayla did!"
Lucca groaned.
"I dunno if my stomach can take that..."
She managed regardless, leaving Crono and Marle. Crono grabbed onto Marle's waist, grinned, and swung them both to the other side.
What he didn't notice was the red on Marle's cheek as they landed.
Scene Six
The fortress loomed, a large stone monument leading into a mountain. As is natural they entered said fortress, finding themselves in a large room pocked with holes and a few scattered, sleeping Reptites guarding them. Lucca's stomach grumbled.
"I don't wanna do this," she moaned. At that, however, the Reptites woke up. The gang prepared to fight, but as Crono stepped forward they all fell into a large pit and found themselves in a new room.
One with a giant dinosaur staring down at them.
Crono drew his weapon as did Marle and Lucca. Lucca fired a volley of bullets that accomplished nothing, followed by Marle launching several crossbow bolts to similar effect.
Crono gritted his teeth, crouched, and slid forward, swinging Byakko and creating a vacuum wave like he had with Masa and Mune, decapitating it. The group promptly fell into ANOTHER pit, then another, and by the time they landed they were exhausted.
Lucca eyed a Power Spot ahead.
"Hey! Ayla, if we all touch that-"
Ayla touched the spark and, sighing, recomposed herself as she was healed.
Marle asked, "How did you see that?"
"Ayla see Earth Tear," she said. "Earth cry tears, tears make feel better."
Crono scratched his chin.
"So she knew what a Power Spot was already...?"
Another Angle
"Azala's Examination"
The Reptite handed the Gate Key to another, a muscular female dressed in lavender robes. This was Azala, leader of the Reptites.
"What is this?" asked the Reptite. "Take from apes."
Azala narrowed her eyes.
"I feel energy, much of it. To think an ape could create this... makes no sense..."
Scene Seven
"AZALA! Give back Cro thing!" Ayla bellowed as she burst into the cavern.
Azala cocked her head.
"So an ape DID make this? Inconceivable. You, boy," she said pointing at Crono. "What is this?" Crono didn't feel like explaining, so he just flipped her off.
Azala roared.
"Perhaps I can loosen your tongue! NIZBEL, to me!"
A giant Reptite lumbered into the room. It was a large, three-horned beast that otherwise looked human. Quickly the heroes prepared to fight and, not wanting to drag it out, Crono blasted it with a barrage of lightning.
"How'd ya like that!" he laughed. But when Nizbel emerged unharmed, he broke out in chills. Before he could react the Reptite lunged and socked him in the face, and followed with a body blow to his stomach and a kick that launched him into the wall.
"CRONO!" shrieked Marle.
He barely struggled to his feet. Caked in blood, he staggered and tried to attack again, but fell instead. Nizbel seized for the kill, only to have its neck snapped with Ayla's kick, sending it flying into the wall. She narrowed her eyes at Azala.
"Give Cro thing back!"
Azala growled, but tossed the Gate Key to the floor.
"Fine, choke on it. Next time we meet I won't be so amenable."
She turned and ran, leaving the gang to gather around Crono. Lucca withdrew a vial of Tonic from her bag, and Crono slowly drank it. The potion helped a bit, and he could get to his feet, but only barely.
"Ugh," he coughed up blood. "Well, it helped. Hey, Ayla!"
Ayla turned back and smiled, then threw up.
Scene Eight
Having been bandaged, Crono and the girls faced Ayla as she staggered from her tent.
"Ayla head hurt... Cro okay?"
Crono nodded slowly, and painfully.
"I'll live," he said. "The Dreamstone?"
Lucca held it up.
"We can go see Melchior now! And the Power Spot at the End of Time ought to fix you up!"
Marle smiled at Ayla.
"Thank you so much! We owe you a lot!"
She threw up again, so they left.
Scene Nine
To get to the Gate the trio had to jump from a nearby cliff. Lucca protested, but did anyway and managed to keep her lunch down as they arrived at the End of Time. Crono staggered through the gate, only to find an absent Power Spot.
"The hell?! Where's the Power Spot?!"
The old man tipped his hat.
"Needs to recharge. Give it a day."
Crono groaned, and fell back against a light pole. He looked at Marle and Lucca with a sigh.
"Looks like you're gonna see Melchior without me."