Chrono Corruption

Act 3: Origin of the Flame

Chapter 11: Hot Spot!

*?*

"Sheesh, it sure is cold here!" Ty moaned as he began to dance around a little on his tiptoes. "Hey Tomo, poke your head outside and see if you can't figure out where we are."

Tomo turned her gaze to the snowy entrance with a grimace, "Why me?"

"...Because you've got the extra 'padding' that Crono and I don't have!" Ty said growing more urgent.

"Aw, I knew making you go down into that hole in Chronopolis alone would come back to bite me in the butt!" Tomo moaned as she approached the cavern entrance. As she poked her head outside she instantly became colder. "Yikes that's pretty darned cold!" she shrieked.

"So, what do you see?" Ty asked impatiently.

Tomo looked everywhere but could see nothing more than snow in all directions and the howl of the frigid wind. "Hmm, I see snowy fields, snowy mountains, and what looks like sheets of ice everywhere! No people in sight!" she said as she ran back inside.

Crono approached a wall torch, "Well, someone's here and it looks like there is writing on the walls. Directions maybe?"

Ty walked up to Crono and ran his fingers across the writing. "Wow, is this... could it be? One of the oldest written languages? It's written from right to left as opposed to left to right, so that means it's ancient. I haven't seen this language very often, so it's really old. I wonder, could we be... in the Ice Age?"

"Ice Age...? So this is older than Antiquity?" Crono asked astonished.

"Yeah, that chicken scratch is definitely older than Antiquity!" Tomo said as she examined it as well.

"What year do you suppose it is?" Crono asked suspiciously.

"Hard to tell," Ty started. "Many debate this era of time as well as Prehistory. Solely because there was nothing written down at the time. That's why they call it, 'Prehistory'. The Ice Age and the eras before it was never documented. Some say it's millions of years, while others say thousands, but it's too hard to tell for certain. Either way, we are far back in the past, but still later than the age of stone. The common estimate for this era would have to be 3,000,000 B.C. to 300,000 B.C. or something like that."

"Well then, let's see if we can't find some natives shall we?" Crono said as he pointed towards the depths of the cave.

"Agreed, we need to find some equipment that'll warm us up!" Ty suggested.

"Yeah, before we become frozen in time!" Tomo added.

With that, the trio ventured further into the well-lit cavern. As they trekked on through, they found that fresh water leaked from the glacier walls making the floor very slippery. It pooled in small alcoves and they noticed small stoneware vases under small springs to catch the water also existed. Fixtures made of wood and bone held laundered leather garments and an occasional fire pit was built on higher grounds. The cave had a lot of winding and twisting turns, but for the most part, remained open. Icy creatures sometimes blocked their path. It felt good to fight, the exercise kept their blood flowing. After taking down a small herd of hostile creatures, voices could be heard ahead of them.

"Hey, I think I hear people, let's approached slowly," Ty suggested.

"No sudden movements...!" Tomo added.

They stuck their heads into the passage and witnessed a tribe of people wearing warm clothing that was primarily tan in color with tribal motifs. Fetishes and structures made from wood and stone were littered around the colorful Tipi tents made from animal skins. It looked as though they had stumbled across an ancient tribal village. Many sat around a large fire pit at the center of it all. Crono walked on through and placed his hand up, "Hello!" he said with a big grin on his face.

Instantly, the tribesman took notice of the strangely underdressed travelers. The men rose and grabbed their Scrimshawed spears and knives while the women pulled their children away. Quickly, they were surrounded and they placed their hands up, "Hey, uh, no want fight!" Crono said simply.

"Yeah, we friendly!" Tomo also added with an uneasy smile.

"Is chiefy-wiefy home?" Ty added comically.

An elderly man with a feathered headdress made his way through the crowd using a scrimshawed spear as a walking stick. He analytically squinted his eyes. "Who you be?" the elder asked.

"Travelers, from very far away," Tomo said with a cheerful smile.

"Very, very far away...," Ty added with a chuckle.

The old man pondered as he cleared his throat, "You no seem evil. It warm where you from?" he asked with a glint of hope.

"Yeah, it's really warm!" Tomo said.

"You from Temple of Red Star then?" he asked curiously.

Ty's eyes lit up, "Temple of the Red Star...?" he asked. "I've never heard of such a place..."

Crono instantly knew what the temple must honor, but kept to himself for the time being. The village elder seemed relaxed, "Good, that bad place with bad God!" he said with certainty. "Me called, Ahtunowhiho! What you called?"

"I am Crono," spoke Crono with a smile.

"I am Tomo," announced Tomo.

"Me am Ty," said Ty with a chuckle.

"Welcome, my village! We on journey to warm place! You going too?" Chief Ahtunowhiho asked with a smile. "It cold outside. Very cold for long time. Not sure when end. Come, get food, water, warm skins," he said invitingly.

"Nice, even the welcome is a warm one," Ty said with relief.

"People in this era are probably welcome to visitors because there aren't many people to start with. So far, man's biggest enemy has been inhuman things like dinosaurs and the weather," Crono said with a whisper.

"Fair enough...," Ty said stoically. "Anyway, it's probably imperative we ask a little bit about that Temple of the Red Star place."

"Yeah, but first can we get some grub?" Tomo said with her belly growling.

"That and some new equipment is probably in order as well," Crono added as he eyed the assorted weapons on a rack.

And they did so, and the villagers welcomed the strangers with a smile. They mingled well with them and were only met with confusion from some folks while children did not fear them. Many children and young teens were entranced by Ty's height and Tomo's weight. As he was the tallest person around by far and Tomo the heaviest. Crono discovered a craftsman that was fashioning materials outside his Tipi near an open flame.

"Hello, you have Ivory and Furs? Me can make many things!" he said proudly.

Crono took some of the Furs and Ivory out of his bag that came from their skirmishes with the local wildlife and handed him the ludicrous amount of stuff and gold coins to cover it. He also mentioned Marle and Lucca and their belongings. The artisan was ecstatic when he saw the number of gold coins Crono gave him. He went into his Tipi and told all his workers to start working. "This good I make you plenty things!" he said confidently as an artist inspired.

As the artisan and his followers worked tirelessly, Crono and the others ate around the bonfire and shared mildly interesting stories about themselves. They told them like legends so as not to give away anything about time travel. Crono then turned to the elder when things quieted down, "So, what is the Temple of the Red Star? Why is it bad?"

The Chief's face grew cold, "Bad thing from sky fall there long time ago. It brings storms, then floods, then ice. Everything freezes, only strong survive! Evil power flow from Temple. Many fall under spell and worship there. Everything frozen, storm chase us down from forest and mountain. Only place left is planet's belly. It dangerous there, but no place left to go."

"I see," Crono gazed off into space as he heard Ty and Tomo lay down near the fire, bundled in animal skins. "Well, I guess it's time for sleep," he muttered to himself.

*Early the Next Morning*

Crono and his friends awoke to the sound of the villagers chattering. There was some shouting involved which indicated some distress. Ty rolled out of the copious furs, "What's with all that racket?"

"I don't know, but it's annoying," Tomo said as she rubbed her eyes.

"It sounds bad, maybe we should check," Crono said getting to his feet.

They quickly organized themselves as they cautiously approached the chief's Tipi. They could overhear some bits of the conversation. "Where my child, where she go?" a woman said stressfully.

"Me not know!" the chief replied.

"Soothsayer gone too, where he go?" a man asked curiously.

"Me not know either!" the chief elaborated.

Crono turned to Ty and Tomo, "This seems bad, I think we should look for the kid."

"Agreed," Ty followed.

"I'll just bet they are deeper inside the cave. Look over there," she said pointing out another entrance. We didn't come in that way, so I say we start by going that way."

"Then let's get our stuff and get moving," Crono said with urgency as he stopped at the artisan's Tipi.

The artisan called them over, "Hey, have many things for you!" he said with a pile of fur and ivory-based equipment lying neatly next to him. He gave Crono his own equipment first, "Me call this Wolfrunner Tunic, Pants, and Bandanna. All with scrimshawed Wolfbane Blade! For tall man, Sabermaw Buckskin and Short-pants with Snowblind Goggles and Sabertooth Knives! For big healthy woman, Mammoth Parka, Legwraps, and Sash. For other girl, Snowshoe Dress, and Ribbon with Condor Bow. For last girl, Lynxpaw Coat and Leggings with Cardinal's Eye Lens and Wishbone Slingshot! Thank you! We create much! You big inspiration!"

Crono collected the things and got dressed, "Ahh, much warmer! Nice sword too!"

Ty was blown away by the lens-less goggles, "A strap made of sinew with two slits carved into some ivory. Nice, these really cut down on the light, like primitive sunglasses! The new duds are nice and warm too even the shorts come with long underwear and shin guards!"

"Eeeh!" Tomo squealed as she hugged herself. "This fuzzy parka is so nice and warm! Even its hood is nice and the sash stretches too! I can even adjust the parka's size with belts!"

Crono thanked the man and he was humbled by Crono's praise. Crono decided to give Lucca and Marle their stuff later as it was important to start moving. They approached the chief's Tipi once more, "Hey, we'll go look for them for ya!" Crono said strongly over the crowd.

The crowd was stunned as Crono urged Ty and Tomo to follow him. The Chief called out to them as they left the village, "Be safe, big monster live that way!"

*Ice Caverns*

The icy caverns were even more expansive in this direction. The sound of dripping water could no longer be heard as this part of the cave was very cold and no more ice melted. They began to navigate the narrow pathways and slippery slopes of the cavern. "I kinda feel like I'm on a cave tour or something," Ty said, breaking the ice so to speak.

"Yeah, but with no actual tour guide," giggled Tomo.

They got used to fighting the local wildlife that mainly consisted of the same furry, icy creatures from before. Eventually, they came to a slippery path that overlooked a frosty pit. Someone was standing on the other side. "Hey, who's there?" Crono called out curiously.

The figure called out, "No come closer strangers!" the male voice said angrily as they vanished into the caves.

"That must be the Soothsayer," Ty deduced.

"Let's get him then!" Tomo urged as she rushed over the slippery bridge of ice. Her weight alone though was enough to make it crack and break underneath her. She fell as it shattered and the bridge turned into a slide for Crono and Ty. "Damn it, Tomo!" Ty cursed as he fell into the pit with them.

Luckily, they fell into some soft snow at the bottom. Tomo moaned as she picked herself up. "Sorry, I really need to be more careful," she said apologetically as she adjusted her body type.

Ty brushed himself off, as did Crono, "Hmm, I really don't think you're that heavy Tomo. That Soothsayer must have done something!" Crono said baffled.

"Well, at least there's another way to go down here. Let's hope it leads back up," Ty pointed out.

The party regrouped and entered. They found themselves outside. The wind had died down, but the skies were dark with the morning sun trying to break through the horizon with its orange glow. Crono peered over the edge and found that it was a massive slope that lead into the endless plains of snow. A ridge lead away from where they were that they could follow. They saw another cavern entrance higher up.

They began to carefully scale the ledge of the cliffside, careful not to fall off. Thankfully, they reached the entrance and found themselves in what seemed to be a prehistoric structure. The room was very large and strewn with bones and torn furs. The Soothsayer was now in plain sight at an alter with a crying little girl strapped down to it. He mumbled to the girl, unaware of Crono's party. "You be sacrifice! Make stranger go away!" he continued.

"Please..., no want die!" the girl cried.

"Hey, dipstick!" shouted Ty angrily as he unsheathed his knives. "Let girl go!"

"Yeah, you have no right!" Tomo followed.

"You stranger! Why chief welcome you? You suspicious. Come in warm skins. You come from Temple of Red Star! Only place warm enough for skins like that!" the wrinkled old man accused.

"We don't know what you're talking about!" Crono shot back.

"Silence, that okay, girl just bluff anyway! Me break bridge so you come here! Big monster eat you instead! Then me return to village!" he said thinking he had a foolproof plan.

"Lotta holes in that plan-!" Ty said as he was interrupted by a shaking.

The Soothsayer jumped as he grabbed the girl and ran for cover. A blue Wooly Heckran came from a small den behind the alter. The creature roared as it licked its lips. "Well, that's nostalgic!" Crono said with an odd sense of deja vu.

"You mean like 'box art' nostalgic?" Ty quipped.

"Come again...?" Crono asked with uncertainty.

"I just hope they get my element right..., uh, never mind here it comes!" Ty shouted with a warning.

The creature approached with drooling fangs, hungry for them. Everyone readied themselves as the monster lunged at Crono with its massive claws. Crono dodged and leaped into the air, countering with a sword slash. Ty vanished for but a moment and saw a pair of delightful Moccasins wedged into the spikes of the monster's backside. He pilfered the shoes with a sense of delight, "Nice!" he said to himself as the monster swatted him aside. He tumbled across the icy floor and hit a snowdrift near a wall.

"I hope that was worth it ya blockhead!" Tomo said as she bashed the bully's jawline with her Mammoth Masher.

Ty quickly recovered from the snowdrift, "Hey, if you don't want these fuzzy house shoes then I'll take'em!" he said with a laugh.

"Hey Ty, let's hit this guy with an Aero Whirl!" Crono said with a confident smirk.

"Yeah, sounds good!" Ty said as he summoned up some wind.

Crono's blade absorbed the green spiraling energy and Crono spun around like a flying buzz saw. He cut deep gashes and wounds into the Heckran's body. "Heh, that worked perfectly!" Crono said confidently.

"Hmm, I've never tried Heckran meat before, let alone Wooly Heckran! Let me finish this!" Tomo said as she used her Gastromorph spell. The suffering beast transmuted into a slab of cooked steak. She greedily wolfed it down, "Mmm, a little stringy, but not bad!" she said as a vision passed through her mind.

Ty approached, "What, did you learn something by eating another monster?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, indeed! I learned some kind of Counter-Attack combination!" Tomo smiled.

"You want the shoes or should I take'em?" Ty asked.

While those two spoke, Crono turned his attention to the Soothsayer who was frozen metaphorically in fear. "You from Temple after all! Have strange powers!" he said as he ran away.

The little girl came to Crono with a smile, "You beat monster! You not evil, you angle!"

Crono patted the kid on the head with an uneasy smile, "That aside, we should get you back to your loved ones!" he said changing the subject.

"Okay, me show you way back!" the little girl said with cheer.

*Back at the Village*

The distressed village was overcome with relief at the sight of the girl's return, but the Soothsayer had returned before them to incite trouble. "They monsters from Temple of Red Star! They use strange power, kill great beast!" he accused.

"No, they angel, YOU monster!" the girl shouted in response. "You try feed me to beast, they save me!"

The Chief approached the Soothsayer, "That true Soothsayer? If so, you commit serious crime!"

"It true, he want feed me to big ugly beast and blame on strangers!" the little girl vouched.

"Am I seriously on some sort of trial right now?" Crono asked himself.

Ty interjected, "Hey, don't worry all, we killed the thing! The Soothsayer just got in the way. The Heckran almost ate them both, but we saved them!"

"What are you doing, Ty?" Tomo whispered.

"It's called shaming, Tomo. Besides, he did what he did out of fear, not hate. Let's teach him a thing or two!" Ty insisted.

The little girl pulled Crono's pant leg, "What you do? He not nice!"

Crono knelt down and he patted her head with a smile, "It's called 'forgiveness' sweetheart. He did what he did because he was afraid, not mean. Now that he knows better, he should be nice... hopefully..."

The Soothsayer was aghast that the strangers didn't rat him out and out of frustration and shame, he quietly slipped away from the crowd. The woman from before came to claim her child and hugged her tightly. The Chief came to them, "We go to warm place now, long storm end! You come with us?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure thing!" Crono said with a smile.

And so, the natives packed their belongings and tied them to large tamed Mammoths. The large creature used its trunk to eat some unknown plant life as it paid no mind to the native's belongings placed on its back. And with that, they were off into the plains of snow. Like nomads, they went and they followed the instructions of the early Astronomers who read the skies for direction. Crono's party followed near the Chief as he rode the massive Mammoth. "So how long until we reach the place?" Ty asked curiously.

"Should be half-day, bad storm last very long time! So close to warmth, but stopped us before we reach!" the Chief said.

Ty slumped in response, "Bummer..."

"So Crono, what did you figure out about the temple?" Tomo asked.

"Well, the equator is definitely the hot spot for the planet! The temple is somewhere along that line but we'll be on our own to look for the place," he explained.

"The equator, huh? I wonder how warm it'll be?" Tomo pondered.

*Nearly a Full Day Passed*

As the day passed, Crono's party began seeing greener areas come through the ice and snow and it began to heat up. Finally, they had reached the equator of the planet and it was strikingly gorgeous. Dandelions grew in green pastures and small animals trotted about. While it was far from the prehistoric jungles it had once been, it was still warm and pleasant. After a little while longer, the ground seemed to elevate a bit as the party noticed they were coming to a cliffside. Crono's party approached the cliff and what they witnessed placed them in awe. The steep cliff descended into the ocean below. Four other cliffs similar to the one they were on, loomed over the horizon in the distance. They all seemed to form a circle around an island in the center of the sea that was covered in a lush jungle.

"Wow, could this be... Gaea's Navel, but in the past?" Tomo asked curiously with her jaw dropped.

"I think you may be right Tomo...," Ty said as he tried hard to think about the present-day island. "Is that... possible though? I mean, these landmasses must be our continents before they drifted away from one another, right?"

"It must be possible," Crono butted in. "When we were in the Middle Ages, there was a landmass known as the Giant's Claw that was off the northern coast of Choras. It turned out to be the Reptites' base of operations that Lavos landed on. It resurfaced in that era and then sank back underwater in our era. This island we see now must have been a nearby mountain. The Reptites made their base in the valley that was surrounded by volcanoes and mountains."

"Yeah, but how did this particular landmass get to be farther out than Choras? El Nido was just an open sea on the planet's equator on our timeline. On clear days you could actually see Gaea's Navel from the northern parts of Choras with a good telescope," Ty explained.

"What is Gaea's Navel anyway?" Crono asked, his curiosity now peaked.

Tomo cleared her throat, "Gaea's Navel is a very tall plateau that presumably no one has touched since Prehistoric times."

"Even we haven't found a way to get on it. The place is too steep for anyone to climb. The rocks are moist and very smooth. Many have tried, all have failed, some even to their deaths," Ty added gloomily.

"Sounds like an awesome place to visit if we could fly. Anyway, I wonder how it beat the Choras continent out to sea?" Crono asked rhetorically.

Tomo placed her fist into the palm of her hand, feeling inspired, "Ah, I got it! This Lavos creature came from the stars and smashed into the planet right? And your friend Lucca told us it dug down into the planet, right? What if it gave the planet a 'belly' ache and Lavos's power moved some of the landmasses, you know, like how a restless sleeper will end up tangled in their bedsheets?"

Ty seemed impressed and clapped his hands, "I like it, that sounds like a good theory to me."

"That's entirely possible, we did discover that Lavos meddled with the planet. Or maybe just smashing into the world set each landmass on a different course at different speeds. I mean, Lavos is dead now, so these landmasses must be moving of their own accord now. So it could even be something simple like Gaea's Naval was just another part of Choras that broke off and just slowed down. Anyway, let's just get down there and get to that temple."

Then something caught Ty's gaze, "Hey, I just saw something over your shoulder, Tomo."

Crono stepped to the side of Tomo, "Hey, it's a Gate! Lucky us!"

Ty walked to Crono's side and placed his hand on his shoulder, "This is good indeed, I think you should return to the End of Time and get Lucca and Marle. After all, we don't know what awaits us at the temple."

"You may be right, but what about you two?" Crono asked with obvious concern. "I can't take you back with me to go get them. Time Gates overload when three or more step into them."

Tomo flexed her arm, "Not to worry, if it's okay with you, we'll go on ahead and scout out the place!"

"Tomo's right, so don't worry, we won't start anything without you guys if there's trouble down there," Ty reassured.

"Well okay, if you think you can handle it. I'll be back in a flash!" Crono said as he took the Gate Key in his hand. He approached the Gate and opened it up with the touch of a button. The Gate opened and Crono entered giving a thumbs-up as he vanished into the time stream.

"Okay Tomo, let's find a good way to get down," Ty urged.

Tomo covered her brow line with her hand to lessen the bright sunlight, "I see a wooden dam with a scaffolding that leads down right over there between these two 'continents'. Wow, a dam was constructed between two continental plates! I never thought I would see such a thing!"

"No kidding...," Ty agreed with a chuckle.

*End of Time*

Crono arrived at the End of Time and rushed to the courtyard where Gaspar was snoozing, "Hey Gaspar!" Crono said loudly as he woke the Guru of Time.

Gaspar sprung awake, "Back so soon, where are the two newbies?"

"They went on ahead, where did you say Marle and Lucca went?" Crono asked while he ran in place.

"The Trash Bin over there has the Time Gate to the Prison of Time," Gaspar stated.

Crono rushed over to the bucket and entered the Gate inside. As he arrived at the Prison of Time he saw Marle and Lucca near the entrance, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. They both were surprised to see Crono, "Crono what are you doing here?" Marle asked surprised.

"Yeah, where's Ty and Tomo at? Furthermore, where did that Gate take you?" Lucca began curiously.

"It took us to the Ice Age, before the Kingdom of Zeal. Ty and Tomo went on ahead. They urged me to come back to get you both, but I'll explain later. Here have some new gear!" Crono said as he handed over their new equipment.

Marle's eyes brightened, "Oh, what pretty furs! I love this ancient bow and arrow. It's all manual!"

Lucca took a close look at her new things, "Are these Lynx pelts? They're very nice, and I haven't used a slingshot like this since I was a kid. They got me into guns, so this is pretty nostalgic for me!"

"Alright, did you two manage to learn any new tricks?" Crono asked eager to see what they learned.

"You'll find out soon enough," Lucca stated. "We can't leave those two stranded in the past. Let's go before something happens."

Crono was disappointed, "Awe, I kinda wanted to see it now though."

"Don't worry sweety, I've been working on my archery skills a lot, so I know you'll be delighted when you see it!" Marle said as she used a single hand to caress Crono's cheek.

Crono smiled, "Well, okay then, let's get going!"

*Ice Age*

Crono and his party returned to the Ice Age and the ladies were quite taken by the scenery. "Wow, this is..., breathtaking...!" Lucca said, star-struck.

"It's so gorgeous!" Marle said as she gazed down at Gaea's Navel. "Hey, what do you suppose is going on down there? Is someone having a celebration?"

"I'm not sure," Crono said as a familiar voice came up behind him.

The voice belonged to the chief, "You, your friend in trouble! Temple of Red Star begin festival! Your friend captured at dam! They be sacrificed!"

"What?! No!" Crono said horrified.

"Crono what's going on?!" Lucca said, demanding to know. "What's the Temple of the Red Sta-! Oh, I think I know exactly what that is for..."

"Come on then, we can't leave them hanging! Who knows what they'll do to them!" Marle said hurriedly as she began running towards the dam.

"Wait for me!" Crono said, eager to fight.

"Um, thanks!" Lucca said to the chief as she ran after her friends.

And with that, Crono's party headed towards the ancient wood worked damn. When they made it to the dam they began walking across the top of the ancient logs that built it up. "This thing is massive! They must have built it over the years as the continents split apart!" Lucca deduced.

"Look, we can take the scaffolding-like structure in front of the dam down to a small boat it looks like," Marle said observantly.

"Good, let's watch our step then, the stairs on this thing don't seem very good!" Crono said with a tone of warning. "I just hope those two are alright..."

The party then began to descend the many flights of rickety stairs and found them to be deserted. They eventually reached the bottom and found themselves on a sandy rise. However, upon arrival, the boat they saw earlier had been taken. "Naturally, the boat's gone...," Lucca said flippantly.

"Hold on, I got this!" Marle said as she approached the water. She clasped her hands together and cold energy enveloped her. "Ice Blast!" she shouted as the cold energy hit the water creating an ice bridge. "Come on guys, we can cross my icebergs!"

"Way to go darling!" Crono cheered.

"Don't look now, but the welcoming committee is approaching!" Lucca pointed out as jungle warriors began swimming across the water.

Crono unsheathed his sword, "Alright, finally some action!" he said excitedly.

"See, I told you, you would get to see us in action soon!" Lucca said as she loaded her slingshot.

Marle readied her Condor Bow, "That's right, just get a little closer...!"

*End of Chapter*