Start Date: January 6, 2022

Windwillow

Chrono Trigger

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Ozzie's time has come. Crono, Frog, and Magus are ready to infilitrate his stronghold and off the little bugger. But of course, it couldn't be that simple. Slash, and Flea, obviously... but also a curious technique that could wrinkle the whole situation into a wad of irritation.

Scene One

After departing the Epoch, the trio looked up at Ozzie's Fort. It was about half as tall as Magus's Keep, with more studs that looked like Ozzie's body shape than the elegant spires of the aforementioned locale. Magus sighed.

"Clearly, I designed my own architecture. This looks like a Durian fruit soiled itself..."

Frog nodded.

"Yeah, it's... uh, avant-garde?"

Crono shook his head.

"Doesn't matter. Let's squash him."

They entered the fort and, after killing several Imps that stood in their way, the party ended up in a green-colored parlor with Ozzie standing with his back to them.

"Fools! Infants! You dare to enter MY home?! You're all dead!"

Magus smiled.

"Tell me, what happened to MY house? I take it you hotfooted it out with some treasure before Lavos razed the place."

Ozzie pivoted, a look of shock on his fat face.

"M-M-Magus?! You bastard! You were just using me this whole time!"

Magus crossed his arms.

"Congrats on figuring that out. Why would I lower myself to serve the likes of you, save for my own ambitions?"

Clenching his fist, Ozzie fumed.

"H-how DARE you, you meanie! I'm gonna squish you flat!"

Magus smiled menacingly, baring his teeth.

"Try it."

Turning in terror, Ozzie ran. Frog stepped forward and cracked his knuckles.

"Can you let me break a few bones?"

Crono nodded.

"I'll take a pound of flesh."

Magus scowled.

"Quiet. This is an internal matter. I'll deal with these fools personally."

Another Angle

"H-Holy Crap!"

"To think we'd raise a hand against Lord Magus! Dreadful!"

Slash crossed his arms.

"HE betrayed US. It's a matter of pride."

Ozzie ran by, past Slash and Flea.

"He's on his way! G-get ready t-t-to fight!"

Flea placed his hand on his hip and sighed.

"Why do we listen to him, again?"

Scene Two

The next few rooms offered minimal resistance. Most of the Henches and Imps chose to run rather than fight the heroes. Those that fought were promptly left rent and maimed in Magus's wake. As they entered a room with a crest of red flame on the floor, Frog drew his sword.

"I smell danger."

Flea coughed, and appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Hey, I wear deodorant like everyone else!"

Crono crossed his arms.

"He didn't mean that, doofus."

Frog lowered the Masamune.

"I take it you want to take point, Magus?"

Magus nodded, and adjusted his glove.

"Precisely."

Flea crossed his arms with a huff.

"You're awfully confident! Take this!"

With a thrust of his hand, Flea sent a wave of flames towards Magus, but the warlock snapped his fingers and snuffed the fire out. Magus smiled.

"Stick to lighting birthday candles, dandy man."

Crossing his arms, Flea pouted.

"Meanie."

He vanished in a flicker of fire. Frog sheathed his sword.

"Well, that was easy... too easy?"

Magus nodded.

"He wasn't being serious. I smell Ozzie's foul planning at work..."

Scene Three

Continuing through the keep, the three entered a room with a blue, dragon-shaped crest on the floor. A cool mist hung in the air, slightly chilly. Crono shuddered.

"Should've brought a coat."

Magus shook his head. He produced his scythe and effortlessly blocked Slash's sword swing. Parrying him, he clenched his fist.

"I expected better. Are YOU going to fight for real, or play the coward like Flea did?"

Slash dropped to one knee.

"Milord, I am glad to see you well. I shan't waste your time."

Crono drew Dreamseeker.

"Good. Outta the way and let us gut Ozzie."

With a sigh, Slash rose with a flourish, brandishing his katana.

"I never said I'd let YOU by."

He lunged, clashing with Crono in a series of three sharp blows. Crono parried, flipped, and swiftly disarmed the Mystic. Slash grinned, and picked up his sword.

"You've improved. I'm impressed..."

Magus pointed his scythe at Slash.

"Good talk. Bring me Ozzie."

Slash smirked, and disappeared in a whish of cold wind. Frog sighed.

"Something is amiss."

Magus shouldered his scythe.

"I don't care."

Scene Four

It was several rooms in that Crono, Frog, and Magus entered a large chamber with chains crossing the floors, walls, and ceilings. Three crests marked the floor, one each of a red hawk, a blue dragon, and a green tortoise.

"Hah! Your time has come, vermin!"

Ozzie, Flea, and Slash materialized in a triangular formation. Magus sighed.

"Why the sudden courage? I've already demonstrated I grossly outclass the three of you."

Flea put his hand on his hip.

"Each of us? Yes. But the three of us? No."

Slash drew his katana, one etched with runes and the head of a blue dragon.

"We've an ace up our sleeve."

Ozzie grinned.

"Li'l ol' me."

He threw out his hands.

"Ultimate Barrier!"

A triangle of light criscrossed the room, each line passing through one of the Mystics. Magus scowled.

"How nice."

He blasted an inferno of fire at Ozzie, only for it to fizzle and snuff itself out. Magus paused in shock.

"What the hell kind of trick...?!"

Frog and Crono drew their weapons. Crono slid his foot in a ready position.

"They're coming!"

In a flash, Slash's sword and Dreamseeker met, clashing and resulting in Crono's disarmament. Frog swung the Masamune, but it was held back with a wave of fire from Flea. Crono snatched his sword back up and charged himself.

"Okay, not bad."

Crono and Slash clashed, neither getting the upper hand. Flea released a torrent of fire at Frog, who dissolved it into steam with his magic; a swift kick slammed Frog against the wall, Flea landing gracefully nearby. Magus snarled.

"What the hell?!"

Ozzie launched waves of lightning and fire, easily dodged and blocked by Magus, but singing his cape. The Mystic smirked.

"This is my ultimate trick: the Ultimate Barrier! While in effect, the three of us are powered up and rendered invincible!"

Magus scowled.

"Let's test that."

He slung a ball of dark lightning, which hit Ozzie squarely and knocked him back, but he caught himself and smiled wickedly.

"See? While in effect, even your powers are useless!"

Magus adjusted his glove.

"And when it isn't in effect?"

Ozzie's face fell.

"I was hoping you wouldn't catch that. Toodles!"

The fat Mystic ran up the stairs, bashing through the steel doors as he did. Magus stepped forward, and as Slash and Flea lunged his two companions smacked them away. The pair brandished their weapons, as Magus smiled and continued on.

Another Angle

"Dammit, He's Sharp!"

"Argh! Why does an evil overlord need to be so smart?!"

Ozzie rushed up staircase after staircase, breaching further into his sanctum.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this... Time for the Room of Doom!"

Magus followed behind leisurely, shouldering his weapon. He stretched his neck and smiled.

Scene Five

Crono and Slash met with a series of strikes, each parried, returned, and moved to the next swing with incredible celerity. Their swords danced like lightning, steel matching steel with the ferocity of a storm.

"Don't forget me!"

With a wink, Flea created a circle of fire around Frog, who frowned and slammed his hand to the ground and blasted the flames away with water magic. To his surprise, however, the steam that resulted rose to a fever pitch and Flea slammed his leg into the Masamune, repelling Frog.

Flea sent several circles of fire to surround Frog, embers wildly dancing around him.

"Water can't always save you!"

Frog cursed under his breath, jumping high as the fire ignited and bounced from the ceiling to match Flea's kick with a swing of the Masamune. The wizard swung again, missed, and was tossed back by a hard shove. Angrily, Frog wiped blood from his face.

"That stupid trick is pretty potent!"

Catching two swings that flowed to a third clash, Crono growled as he held Slash back.

"But not forever!"

Crono stepped back and swept at Slash's feet, but he deftly hopped back and landed on one hand in the center of the room.

"You cannot win."

As he righted himself, Flea breathed fire on Slash's sword, which he used in a wild acrobatic move to slice through Crono and Frog in a curtain of fire. They dropped their swords, falling to one knee in pain.

"Dammit!" cursed Crono. "They got us!"

Slash smiled.

"No one ever said our fights would be separate. War is war, boy."

Another Angle

"The Room of Doom"

Out of breath, Ozzie rushed into the final chamber. He sighed.

"Finally got here! Whoo!"

He examined his defenses. Other than a back platform, the one he was on, several plates laced the floor, walls, and ceilings. Upon stepping on one of the plates, a javelin would be launched from a random slot in the room.

Ozzie cackled, but failed to notice that the shots could hit HIM, as well.

Scene Six

As Frog swept at Flea he jumped, Crono lunging and matching Slash with two swift blows before managing to slice Flea's arm. Frog slammed his hand to the ground and blew the two away with a fountain of water. Crono skidded back, grinning.

"OUCH!"

Flea snarled, forming a ball of fire in each hand.

"Slash, tactics 15!"

Slash nodded, and Flea threw the fireballs at Frog. Although he dodged Slash lunged, only to clash with Crono and accidentally cut Flea's chest open, his bra falling off. He covered his chest with both hands.

"Y-y-you pigs! Don't look!"

At the same time, Frog and Crono cut through Flea's chest with a mighty cleave, sending him back in a fountain of blood. Slash snarled.

"How DARE you!"

He lunged, but Crono activated his lightning mode and cut through Slash's katana, also gashing his arm and wounding one leg. Slash skidded back, blood flowing from his wounds. He coughed up blood.

"Tch! Discretion is the better part of valor!"

Flea lifted his unwounded hand.

"I swear I'll make you punks pay one day!"

He swept his arm, a curtain of fire engulfing the both of them and as it dispersed they disappeared. Crono grinned.

"Game, set, match!"

Then he fell over. exhausted.

Scene Seven

Magus stepped slowly into Ozzie's final chamber, finding the green Mystic reclining in his throne and cackling.

"Hah! So, you've come. Well, I am TOTALLY safe here, so just leave before you embarass yourself!"

Slinging his scythe over his shoulder, Magus smiled.

"You're a horrible liar."

He stepped forward, but as the javelin flew towards him he ducked, the spear jabbing itself into the wall. Magus smirked.

"So, a trap is it?"

Ozzie rubbed his hands together.

"I'm invulnerable here! Leave!"

Magus crossed his arms.

"And if I just blast you from here?"

Ozzie paused.

"I, uh, forgot you could do that. But regardless! I shall make my stand here as leader of the Mystics!"

His cat Debo emerged from behind the throne. Ozzie cocked his head.

"Say what?"

Debo stepped gingerly on the pressure plate.

"Gah! Not that one!"

A lance flew forward and pinned Ozzie's robe to the wall. Magus uncrossed his arms.

"And that's all you have?"

Ozzie groaned.

"Well, uh... at least you can't get over here yourself!"

Magus floated over the pressure plates, landing with a smile. Ozzie's face fell.

"I, uh, forgot you could do that."

Debo popped from the plate and laid on the throne. Magus slowly approached, a smile on his face. Ozzie frantically pulled at the spear holding him.

"S-stop-stop-stop! Ooh, it can't end like this! Gah!"

Magus crossed his arms.

"Pathetic. If only your men could see you now..."

He paused.

"Ah, yes. Let's go with that."

Stopping in front of Ozzie, Magus held up a dark lightning ball in his hand. He smiled menacingly. Ozzie stopped cold.

"O-oh God. I, please, please don't kill-"

A blast of fire ripped through the floor next to Ozzie, leaving a crater and Ozzie's pants wet.

"E-eh?"

Magus grabbed Ozzie by his throat, and lifted him up.

"That gives me a fine idea. If only your men could see how worthless and gutless their so-called leader is! So, I thought... why not show them?"

Ozzie squealed.

"G-g-g-god almighty, d-don't-"

Flipping his hand to hold Ozzie's collar, Magus lifted him over the hole.

"Ozzie, how many floors high is this place? How deep is the basement?"

Pausing, Ozzie groaned.

"I, uh... a few... hund-d-red m-m-eters..."

Magus smiled wider.

"Ozzie... What I am about to do is throw you through every floor and level of this fortress. Do you know why, Ozzie?"

Ozzie frantically shook his head.

"When you reach the bottom, your men will find your broken, bloody body at the bottom of this place. Not dead, mind you."

A sweatdrop running down his brow, Ozzie paused.

"E-eh?"

Magus changed his smile to a frown.

"Loyal to their leader, the Mystics will rescue you. But when they see your twisted torso, what would they think? Their leader in such a state, impotent and easily defeated by his former master?"

Ozzie gulped.

"I... I don't get what you're saying..."

Magus smiled.

"When they see your pathetic body, they'll lose all respect for you. You'd be a joke, a laughingstock... You'd never get a single bit of respect back. I know how much you value your reputation, and the gilded halls where you live. If you lost it, you'd be humiliated."

Ozzie paused.

"Y-you mean..."

Magus nodded.

"With no respect, you'll become a penniless beggar. And if I can destroy the rest of your wretched life, why take it?"

Ozzie snarled.

"No way... Y-you're g-gonna... RUIN me for life?! How could you, you swine!"

Magus frowned.

"It's either this or I dissect you into a few dozen pieces. Choose."

Ozzie sighed.

"This is gonna hurt..."

Magus smiled.

"That's the idea, yes."

He slammed Ozzie down the hole, and the sound of his broken back and his squeal drew a menacing, heartless smile. Then he laughed.

"Good for you I'm not the villain anymore!"

Scene Eight

Magus descended the staircase, laughing. Crono cocked his head.

"So, did you get powered up?"

Magus stopped laughing.

"I don't need power from anyone. Besides, it was so easy that I couldn't get any satisfaction from it. Well..."

Magus laughed.

"I guess it was pretty satisfying."