Start Date: November 19, 2021
Windwillow
Chrono Trigger
Chapter Eighteen
Crono and his friends arrived at the mystical Kingdom of Zeal, with wonders at every corner and mysteries wrapped in mysteries. They had learned that, somehow, Dreamstone had been involved in creating this wondrous land. They didn't know much more than that.
What they were about to learn would turn their blood ice cold.
Scene One
Slowly and steadily Schala walked towards the throne room, apprehension clear on her face, and unaware that she was being followed by our trio of heroes. Once there, she gathered herself and lifted up a familiar object: Marle's Pendant.
At once the blue gem shifted inverted into a blood-red stone with a gleaming blue center, shining, and back again as the mysterious, ornate door before her vanished. She walked through it, and as it reappeared the party examined the door.
"Well," murmured Lucca, "it's strong. I can't just blow it up."
Good thought Crono. Last thing we need is for a bomb to go off, "hey, we're here, come kill us."
Marle held her chin.
"The charm she used to open it looks like mine, so..."
She lifted her Pendant aloft, and while it glowed, the door remained firmly intact. Lucca cocked her head.
"Looks like ours, but it has more juice in it. We gotta find a way to power it up..."
Lucca paused.
"That lady mentioned a Mammon Machine, right? Maybe that'll charge us up!"
Crono hung his head.
"The room with two nasty gargoyles outside? Swell..."
Another Angle
"Meeting in the Throne Room"
"Welcome, Lady Schala. A pleasure to see you, as always."
The man talking was dressed in an auburn robe, and wore an eyepatch. Commander of the military, Dalton.
"Quiet. Nothing matters so long as you brought the Pendant."
All eyes turned to the figure on the throne. Dressed as you'd expect of royalty, her crown clearly marked her as the Queen of Zeal. Her face contorted to a sneer.
"And you have, right, my dear daughter?"
Schala sighed, and nodded.
Scene Two
It looked like an abomination. Shaped like you'd expect of a demon, there really wasn't any word to describe it except "sinister." A cabal of priests stood chanting all around it, the Mammon Machine emitting a sickening green aura.
Marle shivered, as did Lucca. Only Crono had the courage to step forward, holding up Marle's Pendant.
"Here goes nothing..."
The Pendant crackled with light; the blue morphed into a deep crimson, with an orb of azure hovering inside it. It felt... heavy, and not physically.
Crono paused. Another priest approached.
"Ah, Lady Schala allowed you use of her holy charm? Astounding! The Dreamstone which constitutes this machine resonates with the Almighty, and through the Frozen Flame Its power is made manifest!"
Marle gulped, but said nothing. The priest continued.
"The finest creation of the Guru of Life! Such honor is bestowed upon so few, praise the Almighty!"
Lucca paused and smiled nervously. Very nervously.
"Y-Yeah... we, uh, gotta go. Praise to the All-righty, yeah?"
Another Angle
"The Business at Hand"
"Melchior's masterpiece is at my beck and call!"
Queen Zeal cackled. Dalton, clearly unnerved, stepped forward.
"A-and Belthasar's masterpiece, the Ocean Palace, is almost ready!"
In a corner, Schala stood and wept.
Scene Three
"Remember, guys," whispered Crono, "that we gotta be quiet. And I'm talking to you, Lucca."
Lucca sighed and nodded. Upon opening the door the three carefully and quietly entered the throne room, hiding behind a column. Crono eyed Dalton, and narrowed them. He had a bad feeling about that one.
"What of Belthasar's newest work, the time machine?" asked the Queen. All three youths were startled at the name, but Crono shushed Lucca.
Dalton averted his eyes.
"He... refuses to cooperate, Your Majesty. Shall I torture him?"
The Queen shook her head.
"That can wait. For now, all that matters is attaining the power of the Almighty, Lavos!"
Crono screamed.
"LAVOS?!"
At once two guards, armed with rifles, pointed them at the party. Lucca glared at Crono, who didn't meet her eyes. The Queen cocked her head.
"And these insects are, whom, precisely?"
Crono stepped forward defiantly.
"The insects that'll put a foot up your Almighty ass."
The two guards fired, but Crono had already reached them and struck. Marle shrieked, but Crono turned and smirked.
"I knocked 'em out with the back of the sword. Migraine, yes. Dead, no."
Dalton clenched his fist angrily.
"How the hell'd they get in?! They'd need the Pendant!"
He glared at Schala, who flinched.
"And I see the damn thing around her neck!"
The Queen angrily descended her throne. Her hands crackled with evil energy, of a level that chilled everyone in the room. Dalton cringed, kneeled, and produced an orb of his own.
"I'll deal with this vermin. Go, Golem!"
A portal opened to reveal a portly, demented gargoyle. Crono wasted no time in zapping it, but the lightning reflected back and knocked him into a column. Lucca cursed and launched a fireball that was also turned back on her. Marle readied her crossbow in fury.
"NO!" shouted Crono. "DON'T DO IT!"
She launched the bolt and, predictably, it returned back towards her. She cringed, and screamed out as Crono took the bolt for her in his shoulder. He screamed and fell.
"Dammit!" cursed Lucca. "We can't even-"
The party was knocked unconscious by a blast from Dalton. While the Queen laughed, Schala began to cry. Queen Zeal smiled fiendishly.
"Throw them into a prison crystal. I'll enjoy dealing with them later."
Scene Four
The prison crystal was held in a library of sorts, filled with enemies of the Crown. When all hope seemed lost, two people entered the prison. Janus scoffed.
"What will you do with them?"
Schala sighed, lifting her Pendant.
"I'll save them... I think they can rescue Melchior."
With a bright shine our heroes fell to the ground. Slowly they came to, with Lucca being the first.
"Aren't you..."
Schala nodded.
"Yes, the Princess."
Crono lifted up his head.
"Then, why help us?"
Schala paused, then kneeled next to Crono.
"I believe you can save the Guru of Life."
Crono blinked his eyes.
"Come again?"
Schala lifted him up with one hand, without touching him. The party paused, seeing the Princess's apprehension.
"The Guru of Life has been imprisoned on Mt. Woe," she said. "If you can save him, we might be able to stop my mother!"
Janus scoffed, but was brushed aside by a stranger. He was dressed in violet robes, wearing a cloak concealing his head.
"I cannot allow that," he said slowly, lifting his hand. "Nor shall I."
Schala pushed herself between him and Crono.
"Please, great Prophet, have mercy!"
From behind, Janus nodded.
"Yes, have mercy!"
The Prophet paused, unsure of himself. He lowered his head.
"Only if you cooperate with us. And I mean fully."
Schala sighed, but nodded her head. The Prophet turned away.
"Show me where you came here. Now."
Crono moved to draw his sword, but because of the damage the bolt did to his arm it only fell limply to the side. He scowled.
"Dammit..."
Scene Five
The group consisting of Crono, Marle, Lucca, Schala and the Prophet arrived at the Gate that had brought them from 65,000,000 B.C.E. via the Tyranno Lair. Examining it, the Prophet scoffed.
"So that's it... now, get in and get out of my face."
Lucca went to move but Crono locked eyes with her, shaking his head. She sighed, and pulled out the Gate Key. The Gate materialized in a spiral flash.
"Interesting toy," said the Prophet. "Now go play with it somewhere else."
Crono sighed and the party leapt into the Gate. The Prophet turned to Schala and pointed at the Gate.
"Seal it," he said. "And make it so they can't use it again."
Schala gasped.
"Y-you can't make me!"
The Prophet moved to slap her, but stopped suddenly. He turned instead and left. Schala sobbed, but used her Pendant to seal the Gate in a pyramid barrier, leaving it unusable. She sunk to her knees.
"Forgive me..."
Another Angle
"After the Escape"
"Where are they?" Zeal hissed, holding Dalton by the throat in the prison library. "And why are they gone?"
Dalton hacked.
"I... don't know! Th-they..."
The Prophet entered beside Schala. He smirked.
"The seal was faulty, and they broke out. Simple enough... incompetent fool couldn't cast the spell right."
Zeal threw Dalton into the wall.
"One hour of torture. I'm feeling sweet, so I'll let you choose how you want me to maim you."
Scene Six
At the End of Time, Crono and the girls fell onto the ground at the portal space. Frog hopped over the fence and met them.
"Are you alright?!"
Crono staggered to his feet.
"Is the Power Spot back up?"
Robo nodded. Crono sighed and moved to recover his wounds. Lucca smacked her fist in her palm.
"Royal bitch! Someone ought to put her in her place!"
The old man snickered.
"Never a people person," he muttered. "Igniting the apocalypse didn't lighten her mood."
Marle cocked her head.
"Did you say something, mister?"
The old man sneezed and adjusted his bowler hat.
"Caught a cold. Now, what happened?"
Crono angrily sliced off a fence post.
"We met the queen of bitches, got our asses handed to us, and had some cloaked freak shove us out the damn door!"
He sighed as the fence regenerated.
"We couldn't even scratch her lackey's lackey. We were so powerless..."
Ayla stood up.
"Cro lose? Take Ayla! Ayla no lose!"
Robo nodded.
"The first order of business is to return to that time period. Then we may continue our mission."
Marle shook her head.
"Schala sealed the Gate, so we can't get back."
The old man's eye twitched.
"Let's step back. Did you learn anything that could get you back?"
Lucca paused.
"That's right! The old man from the future was Belthasar, right? The Queen said he was working on a time machine! We'll get that and go back!"
Crono nodded.
"To the future! Who's coming?"
Lucca raised her hand.
"I wanna see the time machine!"
Robo stepped forward.
"I wish to go as well."
Marle held her chin, and giggled.
"We have some business there. How much money do we have?"
Another Angle
"Musings"
The Prophet slammed the door to his room. He fell back onto the bed and tore off his hood, revealing himself as Magus. His eyes narrowed.
"I can't get rid of those pests! They barge in on me in two separate eras, and what did I do?! I let them go! I should've killed them!"
He paused, and looked at his hand.
"But... I just couldn't slap her... What the hell am I doing?!"
Scene Seven
Trann Dome was just as gloomy as ever. Its people were tortured and starving, suffering abounded, and overall life just sucked. Again. However, when Crono entered the Dome the people perked up.
"Hey!" one of them shouted. "Whadda you punks want?!"
Crono smirked and threw a Capsule, producing a large stock of food: fruits, vegetables, and cheap meats (budget was tight). The people stared in shock, their stomachs aching for one final time, as he caught the Capsule as it fell.
"How about lunch?"
The people had no words, but their mouths had plenty to work with. They gorged themselves, drinking clean water and the first food they'd ever tasted. The children went first, crying parents filled with accomplishment at having brought new hope to them.
As they all ate, Lucca crossed her arms with a smile.
"Delivery complete."
One of the people dashed up to Crono.
"You actually came back! You... you said you'd, and you...!"
Crono smiled.
"That should last for a while. Eat up."
A tear fell from the man's eye, dropping him to his knees.
"God in Heaven, you...!"
Lucca waved from by the exit.
"Hey, we got another delivery! Hurry up!"
Crono smiled and turned back. The man grasped his hand.
"Where are you going? Stay!"
He shook his head.
"Arris Dome is next."
Another Angle
"Back at the End of Time: Budget Concerns"
Marle sighed.
"That cleaned us out..."
Frog laughed.
"We can always get more! I'm sure His Majesty would fund another go of it!"
She smiled. Ayla chomped on a piece of meat.
"Ayla happy now!"
Scene Eight
Arriving at the lab ruins, the party were met by a horde of killer robots and twisted mutants. With their new power they effortlessly sliced them to ribbons and continued on. Soon enough they reached Arris Dome. This time it was Lucca's turn.
Doan rose from his seat.
"It's you all again!"
Lucca smiled, pressed the Capsule and tossed it. Another feast was revealed. Everyone stood agape before rushing in to eat. Doan stood in silence, finally finding his voice with a rasp and a tear.
"Thank you!"
Crono nodded.
"We figured you'd want an advance before the seed starts producing food. You helped us out a ton, too!"
Doan paused.
"What could we have done to deserve this...?!"
Another Angle
"Trann Dome"
The feast had subsided somewhat, the realization that they'd have to stretch their resources setting in. Still, morale was higher than they'd ever dreamed of: hell, no one used the word 'morale' for their entire lives till now.
One of the citizens, the one who the gang had promised to come back before, took a swig of water. He cried, sobbed, and toasted.
"They... kept their promise... never would've thought someone still would..."
Scene Nine
At last the party returned to Belthasar's dome, where they expected to find Belthasar (being his dome) or his assistant, neither of which were in sight. Crono sighed.
"Hell of a time for the guy to leave..."
Robo paused.
"Is this door not what you have described?"
Crono looked and, indeed, behind the bio-computer was a door much like the ones from Zeal! It had some doodles on it in a language he couldn't understand, but he still used the Pendant to open it.
In they marched, as several bright sparks erupted throughout the room. Belthasar's voice echoed.
"To those who opened the door, I welcome you... I am Belthasar, Guru of Reason in the old Kingdom of Zeal, not that it matters now. I was somehow thrown from my time to this hellhole where, to my shock, I discovered that Lavos lived! And caused this devastation!"
One of the lights went out, as another ignited.
"Aeons ago he descended and, burrowing into the planet, began to suck the Earth's life from the inside, like a parasite. He consumes life to suit his own ends... and, in 1999 C.E., he finally struck and, well, you've surely looked about you."
Another light went on.
"Now he reigns from Death Peak, the site of his eruption. Even now he spawns his vile offspring, though for what purpose I've no conclusion. Forced to live here I have researched all this and more. Still, the ravages of age will soon be upon me... and I'm losing my sanity quickly."
A fourth light flickered on.
"I can never return home, but perhaps some force is at work here. So, you, you who opened this door! To you I will safeguard my final masterpiece, the one that may tip the scales in our favor... my Wings of Time."
The final light zoomed over to another door and, as it opened, Belthasar's Nu assistant emerged.
"Good tidings, friends!" it boomed in a voice not its own. "It is I, Belthasar! I transferred my memory into this Nu. Now! Let us continue forward and I'll introduce my final work to you!"
Another Angle
"Back at the End of Time: Finally, the Next Step"
The old man nodded off, or pretended to. As Frog and Marle discussed matters of many varities, he slowly opened his eyes. He turned them to Spekkio's room, back to the two heroes, and finally upwards.
This makes his part finished. Now, it's all on me to guide them...
Scene Ten
It was hard to describe what waited behind the door. A strange contraption, it was vaguely teardrop-shaped, with a dome in the center with three seats hanging below. The Nu escorted Crono, Lucca, and Robo in and gestured towards it.
"These are my Wings of Time. If you press button A the seats will head up. Button B will close the device. And dials X and Y can be adjusted to go through certain markers in time. You can only go so far back, though."
Lucca stood agape.
"What do you call this thing...?"
The Nu scoffed.
"Didn't you hear the Wings of Time part? Call it whatever you want, 'cause it's yours now. Get going and show that bug that he can't mess with humanity and get away with it!"
The party entered the device, lifting up the seats into place beneath a small dome, with many controls in front of them.
"Well," Lucca muttered, "we're going through many epochs of time, so let's call it the Epoch. Now, let's turn these dials to 1000 C.E. and see what happens."
They did so. And, in a burst of light and flame, they found themselves in a current of lava. To their shock it did no damage and put out no heat, but as their vision recalibrated they found themselves at Lucca's house... 1000 C.E.
The Wings of Time were now aloft.