Start Date: November 12, 2021
Windwillow
Chrono Trigger
Chapter Sixteen
The wicked warlock Magus created Lavos, the world's destroyer. Kill him, kill Lavos, save the future. That was the original plan. But from his own mouth the truth was revealed: Lavos hadn't been CREATED, but SUMMONED.
So, where did Lavos originate? In a way, we may never know.
Scene One
"Crono!"
Eh?
"Crono!"
-I recognize that voice...-
Opening his eyes, Crono found himself in his bedroom. His wounds were gone, and before his eyes was Marle, who opened the blinds and turned to face him with a smile.
"It's time for work!" she chided. "We can't keep sponging off my father, so you've gotta hold down a job!"
Crono blinked, scarcely believing his eyes. He smiled.
"How about a kiss, honey?" he asked. Didn't know if it'd happen, but hey.
Marle smiled and reached her face down to Crono's. His eyes closed, he pursed his lips for a kiss, and upon opening his eyes saw Ayla staring back at him. He screamed.
"Cro, what wrong?"
Crono composed himself.
"Y-you, I... where the hell am I?!"
Lucca prodded him. He turned, seeing her bandaged and tired. She smiled.
"It's okay," she said. "Ayla saved us."
He paused.
"How did she know to find us?"
Ayla rose.
"Ayla have dream, see Cro. Go mountains, find."
Another scream sounded, this time from Frog. He lifted himself up, gripped the sword at his side, and narrowed his eyes.
"Magus!"
He paused. Ayla cocked her head.
"Yummy frog for Ayla eat?"
Frog scurried up to his feet.
"Of course not, idiot! Where that pale-faced bastard go?!"
Lucca shook her head.
"Ayla only found us. Dunno where Magus went."
Gritting his teeth, Frog laid back. He didn't know what to say. I mean, the whole purpose of his life was killing Magus, and not only did he fail, he'd been culinarily propositioned by a cavewoman.
Crono paused and shook his head.
"What about Lavos?"
Ayla cocked her head.
"Lavos? No worry Lavos. Cro hurt bad, rest."
Another Angle
"A Prophet's Return"
Magus's eyes snapped open, jolting awake to find himself in an ornate bedroom. He felt his wounds, finding them gone. Slowly he lifted himself up and shook his head.
"Where am I...? I... remember this room...!"
"Are you alright, dear sir?"
All the blood in his body froze. Turning, he saw as a young woman sat down by his bedside. She was dressed in beautiful violet robes, matching her hair. Hers was a voice he thought he'd never hear again.
"Schala!?"
Scene Two
Frog's hand still gripped the Masamune, but his eyes narrowed.
"That story is... audacious," he said. "You've come from the future to save a more distant one? This Lavos destroyed the world? You must all be mad."
Lucca shook her head.
"You didn't see what we did. Lavos DID destroy everything. We're trying to stop him."
Crono sighed, feeling his bandaged wounds.
"If Lavos wasn't created by Magus, what the hell is he?"
Lucca paused and held her chin.
"He said something about Lavos falling from the past to the planet, right? And we're in the past, right? You don't suppose..."
Kino entered the tent, smiling.
"Cro better? Ayla worried. Kino check Crono."
He paused.
"Kino sorry steal Cro thing. Kino take care of Cro for Ayla. Ayla go find Laruba, fight Reptites together! Beat Reptites or Reptites beat us all!"
Another caveman swept into the tent. Kino shook his head.
"Cro rest," he said. "What wrong?"
The ancient ancestor, panicked, pointed north.
"Laruba village burning! Reptites burn Laruba!"
Another Angle
"Back at the End of Time"
Marle rocked back and forth on the ground.
"Wow, so Crono and Frog are fighting Magus now? I hope they'll be okay!"
Robo nodded.
"They are strong. They will prevail. For now, Marle, you must rest."
She laid against a lamp post. Her eyes narrowed.
"I hope he's okay," she murmured. "I just hope he's okay..."
Robo paused.
"Your reaction is... odd. May I inquire what you are talking about?"
Marle shook her head.
"Forget it."
If something happened to him, I don't know what I'd do. Why... am I feeling this way...?
Scene Three
Crono, Frog, and Lucca dashed out of the tent, but Kino was gone by the time they exited.
"BURN?" yelled Lucca. "Those things burned a whole village?!"
Frog shook his head.
"Whatever's going on, we can't allow that. Come, let us hurry!"
Crono stopped, paused, and lowered his eyes.
"This is Ayla's business. If we're gonna interfere, I wanna talk to Ayla about it myself."
Lucca nodded.
"Kino headed north. Let's hurry!"
Another Angle
"Rush to Laruba"
Kino's feet pounded the jungle wildly. One foot after another he ran, and ran, towards the conflagration at the northern lands. He found chaos: people running about, trying to put out the fire, and the Chief screaming his head off.
"Reptites do this!" he shouted. "Reptites burn Laruba cause of Ayla!"
Kino ran up and slapped him.
"Ayla not do! Reptites do!"
The chief turned angrily.
"Ayla lead them here!"
He had no further words, mainly because he'd been clubbed about the head by a Reptite.
Scene Four
"Ayla, you do!"
Crono and the rest rushed up to the ruins. There the Chief and Ayla faced off at the destroyed village's square.
"Reptites follow Ayla! Reptites kill, take people! Now, village ruined!"
Ayla bowed her head.
"Ayla sorry..."
The Chief got in her face.
"Reptites live longer than us! Strong! We hide. Ayla say no hide. Ayla still stay fight now?!"
Ayla nodded.
"Ayla live, Ayla fight! Win, live! Lose, die! That rule! No change rule! Old man breathe, dead inside!"
Another caveman rushed up.
"Ayla! Reptites take people, take Kino!"
A look of fury filled her eyes.
"Give Dactyl! Now!"
The Chief paused. Then, his face broke out in terror.
"Dactyl?! Go Tyranno Lair?! Reptite castle?! Ayla want die?!"
She slapped him.
"No, want live! Go fight! Give Dactyl!"
The elder paused.
"Yes... give Dactyl. Chief tell Keeper, you go Dactyl Nest. Ayla, careful!"
Ayla nodded and hugged the old man.
"Elder, thanks! Now, go get Kino!"
She rushed away before the party could react.
"Hey!" shouted Lucca. "Wait up!"
The Chief hobbled up to them, breathing heavily. Crono could see tears in his eyes.
"Go, help Ayla! Please!"
Crono nodded.
"Hey, Crono!" called Lucca. "Take a look at this!"
He turned and ran to meet her. There he found a familiar face, the same creature that had been at Belthasar's side. Lucca tapped his shoulder, but it recoiled.
"Not know you! Who you?! Who Belthasar?!"
Lucca sighed.
"We don't have time to think about him. We have to go save Ayla!"
Another Angle
"Rush"
Ayla ran quickly, dodging trees and vaulting vines. Any dinosaurs stupid enough to attack were promptly broken and thrown away. She ran, and ran, her memory turning to when she'd found Kino abandoned in the Mystic Mountains.
She gritted her teeth.
"Kino wait! Ayla save Kino!"
Scene Five
The Dactyl nest's keeper had allowed the group through to the grounds. There they found a Power Spot.
"Crono, hurry!" shouted Lucca. "We need to go help Ayla!"
He shook his head.
"Not you. You're hurt too bad. Let's bring Marle in! We need to go up quick!"
She gritted her teeth, bowed her head, and nodded.
"Just save her."
They touched the Power Spot together. This was Frog's second time touching it and, feeling the power surge through him and seeing Marle appear in Lucca's place, he finally began to accept the truth. They really were from elsewhere, trying to save the world. He owed them his service.
Crono, Frog, Marle dashed up the mountain. The path was winding, filled with vines and various flora and fauna. Eventually they reached a steep cliff. Crono turned to Marle.
"You're up!" he said. "Let's... MOVE!"
He tackled her, narrowly keeping a large ape from grabbing her. Six more dropped from the canopy, leering and readying to strike. Crono's eyes narrowed, his teeth gritted, and he drew Seiryu and sliced one open.
Marle rolled, landed and finding an ape above gripped her dagger, charged it, and impaled the beast through its chest. Frog wasted no time brandishing the Masamune, parrying two more and cutting them down with two swift strokes.
Three more charged. Marle grabbed her crossbow, lifted and fired, nailing one and freezing it solid. Another shot shattered it. Crono traded blows with one of the remaining apes, evaded, and cut it in two. As it fell to the ground Frog downed the final ape.
"Now!" he shouted. "Bring us up!"
Marle nodded. The three positioned themselves beneath the cliff. She placed her hands towards the ground and prayed, a platform of ice rising up and carrying the party up above. There, they saw Ayla with four large creatures, winged dinosaurs flapping to the ground.
"Ayla!"
Ayla startled.
"Cro?! How get here?!"
Crono shook his head.
"Doesn't matter. Let's go save Kino!"
She slapped him, hard.
"No! Go Reptite castle, danger! No danger Cro!"
Frog placed his hand on her shoulder.
"You've helped us. Please, let us return the courtesy."
Ayla paused and bowed her head. She nodded.
"Ayla got good friends..."
Another Angle
"Imprisonment"
With a scream, Kino was thrown into a prison cell by a Reptite. Several more cavemen and cavewomen were also being held there. One of the Reptites laughed in his face.
"Wait, bring Ayla here! Reptites kill, end fight!"
Kino grabbed it by the shoulders.
"Please, no! No hurt Ayla!"
It punched him, turning and leaving the cell. As the bars closed Kino rushed up, but was unable to open the bars. He struggled, punched, kicked, and finally fell back in defeat.
"Ayla no come..." he moaned. "Ayla, no come! Not come, die!"
Another Angle
"At the End of Time, Once Again"
Lucca popped from the Power Spot, breathing hard. Her eyes narrowed.
"Dammit!" she yelled, punching a wall. "I need to get back and help!"
Robo shook his head.
"Crono and the others can manage. You need to rest."
She dropped down on her butt.
"Dammit..."
Scene Six
Upon landing the Dactyls the party darted down behind a cliff. Ayla bowed her head.
"Thanks, Cro. Ayla happy..."
Crono nodded.
"Then let's take Kino back and put your foot up Azala's ass."
The guards at the front numbered four. Each of the Reptites had been given Viperwine to drink, assured that no one could attack. One of them toasted the others before Frog cut its head off. The remaining soldiers were quickly dispatched and the party entered the Lair.
Ayla rushed forward to a large ribcage, with a stairway leading down, and kicked through it. She nodded, and the party followed. Down the stairs they ran until they reached the bottom - and the dozen Reptites waiting.
They shrieked and attacked. Two went for Marle, the rest for the others. She threw her hand out and launched javelins of ice, piercing their chests and killing them. Then she drew her crossbow and prepared to back up the rest.
Ayla snapped two necks with two kicks, Frog compressed another with a wave of water, and Crono blew away the seven remaining in a maelstrom of lightning. They hurried down, finding Kino and the others.
"Ayla!" shouted Kino. "Why here?!"
With two punches she shattered the doorway. As the rest ran she turned to Kino and laid her hands on his shoulders.
"Kino go. Ayla fight!"
Kino started to say something, but stopped and sighed. He ran up the stairs to freedom. Ayla stared at his back as he escaped.
"Kino strong man," she murmured. "When Ayla die, Kino chief... but not yet!"
Scene Seven
The party ascended the stairs, burst through another ribcage, and charged upward. There they found a number of chambers, void of Reptites. Crono rushed in and brandished Seiryu.
"It can't be this easy," he said. "Be careful!"
They continued on through a number of other rooms, finally reaching the outside. There they found their environment...
The Tyranno Lair was suspended high above the plateau, stitched together with dinosaur bones, sinew, and stone into a massive castle of unimaginable proportions. Marle rushed up to the wall.
"I can't believe we're so high up!" she yelled.
Crono gritted his teeth as thirty more Reptites advanced. He readied his sword.
"I can't believe you just gave us away!"
Charging, the Reptites split into three groups. One went for Ayla, another for Frog, and the final for Crono and Marle. Ayla dashed forward and clashed with seven of them, struggling to hold them back. She gathered her strength and kicked them away before rushing in, a flurry of punches and kicks devastating the guards.
Frog slammed both hands to the floor, creating a giant pressure wave that buried his attackers in a wild burst of water. Crono and Marle went back to back, each brandishing their weapons.
"Can I count on you?" asked Crono.
Marle nodded, and lifted her crossbow.
"Of course!"
Running forward, several Reptites attacked Marle. She launched a bolt, reloaded, and fired again, freezing and shattering two of them. Drawing her dagger she placed her hand to the ground and created a sheet of ice, slipping up the Reptites.
As they slipped Frog and Ayla quickly launched at them and cut them down. The remaining three Reptites were blasted away by Crono. He nodded, and the group advanced.
In the next chamber a familiar face awaited: Nizbel.
"Again?!" snarled Crono. He charged himself with lightning. "I won't get beaten like last time!"
He dashed at remarkable speed, hurling a lightning bolt at Nizbel. It swallowed the blast, chomping and regurgitating it. Crono swiftly zipped out of the way and cut off its arm. Marle launched a crossbow bolt that struck and shattered the other arm, leaving Frog and Ayla to finally destroy the Reptite.
"Azala up there!" yelled Ayla. "End fight!"
Scene Eight
Azala's throne room beckoned, and Ayla gladly met the challenge. She put her foot through the final door, revealing Azala on her throne, dressed in lavender robes.
"AZALA!"
The Reptite leader scowled.
"The apes are here!" she shrieked. "How?!"
Ayla ran towards the throne with her fist outstretched.
"AZALA!"
Azala grinned and threw up her hand, stopping Ayla with a wall of force. She struggled, but couldn't get past the barrier. With a sinister smile, Azala leapt from her throne and ran through another door, whereupon a Power Spot appeared.
Crono gestured towards it.
"Marle, Frog! Switch with Robo! We'll take it from here!"
They nodded, and as everyone touched the Power Spot two vanished as Robo appeared in a dead run. They continued on, passing through a vast tunnel.
As they ran they heard a monstrous roar. Azala stood in front of a giant tower, facing away, her head lifted to the sky. In the sky, a heat emanated... something was there, and the sight of a red star confirmed it.
"Damnable red star," she snarled, "FALL! Stain the earth red!"
Ayla ran forward and skidded to a stop. Turning, Azala's face revealed tears.
"We may be fated to die," she said coldly, "but at least I can take you apes with me."
Azala snapped her fingers. At that, the tower broke open to reveal an enormous dinosaur, a T-Rex with ripples of flame dripping from its maw. There was no time to waste, no words to say.
Ayla charged at her enemy, vaulting over the T-Rex and slamming her fist into Azala's barrier. They skidded backwards, mutually prepared, and clashed again.
Meanwhile, Crono and Robo dealt with the dinosaur. Robo fired a volley of cannonfire, quickly repelled with a breath of fire. Crono threw up a barrier of lightning that canceled the attack out, skidded back, and ignited his lightning mode.
Ayla and Azala were evenly matched. For each blow Ayla delivered Azala countered, until at last her stamina gave and Ayla punched her into the tower's wall.
Crono hurled a bolt of lightning at the T-Rex, stunning it long enough for Robo to hold it down with gatling fire. He zipped forward, leapt, and pierced the beast's head with Seiryu.
He twisted, spun, and decapitated the dinosaur with a violent flourish. The tyranno's body dropped like a stone. That left Azala to claw her way from the rubble, twitching violently.
"Impossible," she hissed. "Has Heaven favored the apes over us...?!"
Ayla skidded to a stop above Azala. She bowed her head.
"Azala... war over."
The castle rumbled, as heat surged across the platform. As the party reeled, Azala staggered to her feet. She glared at the sky, the red star becoming brighter and hotter.
"Let it be said," she whispered, "that we fought to the end."
Ayla nodded.
"Ayla know."
A strong wave of heat struck, dropping everyone to the ground. Azala rose, staring at the descending star with contempt.
"The fiery stone shall strike the planet... Its flames will scorch all that is and chill the land, creating a cruel age of ice... you apes will inherit a lifeless rock."
Ayla staggered.
"Lavos..."
Another Angle
"Lavos Descends"
Its course was from parts unknown. However long it had lived remained a mystery, but now Lavos's shell burned with heat from the descent to Earth. Gravity had already begun to draw the beast into the planet, a sickening process that shook the world to its core.
Scene Nine
"L-Lavos?!" screamed Crono. "What about Lavos?!"
Ayla bowed her head.
"Ayla word. La means fire, Vos means big."
"AYLA!"
The party jolted, watching as Kino and three Dactyls descended. He frantically motioned to come closer, and they did.
"Hurry," screamed Ayla. "Lavos fall! Ride Dactyl!"
But as Crono and Robo climbed up their mounts she ran to Azala's side.
"Azala! Come!"
Azala bowed her head, and shook it.
"No... the planet wills our deaths and so they will be offered."
Ayla gritted her teeth, but climbed onto the Dactyl.
"Ayla not forget Azala..."
As they began to ascend, Azala fell to her knees.
"The planet..."
Ayla stopped.
"Planet? What about planet?!"
The Dactyls turned and flew away. Azala narrowed her eyes.
"This planet... protect it."
Across the Tyranno Lair the remaining Reptites solemnly bowed their heads. They had lost, and the planet would pass judgment for their defeat. That was the law of the earth.
And so, Lavos struck the planet.