Chrono Corruption

Act 5: Revolution

Chapter 28: Necropolis

*Guardia Castle, Middle Ages, 605 A.D.*

Glenn gazed sorrowfully at the Grandleon. Its shape is twisted by all the wicked deeds while being used by the Frog King. By the sword, the Frog King's Crown and Cape lay on the ground. Glenn picked them up and Crono smirked, "You gonna wear his mantle? I think it would look good on you!" he chuckled.

Glenn blushed in embarrassment, "U-uh, I was only thinking it might fetch a high price if presented to the right person!" he stuttered.

Suddenly, the door to the throne room opened and King Guardia came through with a giddy smile on his face. "You've done it, Glenn! The people of Guardia are turning back to normal! You have restored our humanity!" he said as he teared up.

"Which reminds me!" Glenn stirred. "I wonder what the condition of Queen Leene might be?"

The King gasped, "I shall see to her right away!" he said as he dashed off to their chambers.

Upon reaching the King's chambers, Leene was found in her human form vomiting into a metal bucket. "Oh my...," King Guardia said.

Leene moaned, "Ugh, just what did I eat?! What a horrible nightmare!"

"I believe Leene shall be fine!" Glenn said wiping sweat from his brow.

"You'll be fine my dear! Glenn has slain the Frog King with the help of his allies!" King Guardia reassured.

Queen Leene chuckled dizzily, "Wonderful..., I just need some... rest is all...," she coughed.

Sure enough, all throughout the kingdom, the cursed Guardians began transforming back to normal. The party left the Royal Chambers and the King and Queen Leene took back their thrones as the castle flooded with people who were once transformed. Among the knights, a familiar boy shouted to Glenn, "Master Glenn! I'm 'me' again!" shouted Tata as he came running up to him. Glenn turned to face his squire, now back in his original form. They hugged tightly as Glenn chuckled with joy.

"My boy, I am so glad you have survived!" Glenn said with relief. "I have been trying so hard to return here after the incident in the catacombs! How did you escape?"

Tata wiped his eyes and recalled the situation, "I just turned tail and ran. I was so ashamed that I hid in the forest. It was a miracle that I was able to escape the catacombs but I knew you would return!"

Glenn became serious, "Tata, in such a situation, a retreat is a viable strategy. Indeed, running away to rest and lick your wounds until aid arrives is nothing to feel ashamed of."

"Thank you, Master Glenn," Tata said relieved.

With a breath, Glenn focused his thoughts, "Well, now that the Frog King is dead we must figure out how to purify the Grandleon."

"And we figure out where all these undead critters came from!" Crono added.

The King interjected, "Undead? What undead?"

Tata retorted, "Sire, the Frog King added undead amphibians to his army! I saw them myself. They even persisted after the demise of the Frog King and everyone was turning back. They cared not about the defeat of the Frog King!"

The King faced Glenn, "Glenn is this true?"

"Yes, Sire, I can attest to Tata's claim," Glenn began. He took a deep breath, "The Frog King became undead after the beating we gave him and he faced us. We still managed to put an end to him though..."

"Oh my...," Leene said covering her mouth politely with her hand.

"We don't have any information on this problem though," Glenn continued.

"The Frog King never explained it in any way," Marle said stepping forward.

Tata then remembered something, "Maybe this will help!" he said as he rummaged through his bag. He brought out a weird dried crimson mushroom. "When I left the catacombs, I tried to continue fighting my way through the monsters whenever they appeared before me. All the undead ones had this weird mushroom on them in some shape or form. Could it have something to do with their zombified state?"

Lucca approached and adjusted her glasses as she took the mushroom from Tata, "Hmm, I've never seen a mushroom quite like this one before."

"Hey, you know who might know a lot about mushrooms?" Marle asked as she rose her index finger. "I'll bet a certain rogue with wind magic might have an idea!" Marle said coyly.

Lucca snapped her fingers, "That's a great idea, Marle! Ty grew up in a swamp!" she said ignoring Marle's undertones.

Glenn added, "You think the Drayguards can provide assistance this time?"

"I sure hope so," Crono said as he scratched his chin. "I can't think of anything better, so let's go talk to him!"

And so, Glenn kneeled before King Guardia and his wife. They gave him their full attention, "Your Majesty! I apologize for the abrupt departure but I must go now. My friends here require my assistance elsewhere and I shall not let them down."

"You're leaving again, Master Glenn?" Tata asked glumly.

"I must," Glenn began. "I have some unfinished business that I must attend to."

Tata sighed and the King cleared his throat, "Very well, Sir Glenn. You have done your duty here so I will grant your leave. Nevertheless, do make haste. The cleaning alone will take weeks!"

"What shall I do while you are away, Master Glenn?" Tata asked, hoping for an assignment.

Glenn faced him, "Anything the King asks of you, Tata. I shall only be gone for a while but I'll make haste to return home as soon as I finish!" he said strongly as he finished with a respectful bow to the King and Queen. He turned to Crono and the others, "Shall we reconvene with Ty?" With that, the party regrouped and made their leave.

*Chronopolis*

Crono's party joined Ty in the Biology Lab at Chronopolis. Ty inspected the mushroom carefully, "Huh, you said you found this in the Middle Ages?" he paused. "That shouldn't be possible. This mushroom is called a Mystic Wart. It should have gone extinct around the Dawn of Guardia."

"Extinct?" Lucca asked quizzically.

"Yep, the Mystic Wart was a cultivated mushroom used by Fiends in their brews," Ty began. "Everything from extravagant potions to simple meals. That's what it was used for. However, once Irma Guardia spread her influence across the continents the human tribes of Medinians and Gerzbuehlans attempted to populate the area and cultivate it. They quarreled amongst themselves until they settled on calling the entire continent Medina as we know it in our time with Gerzbuehle being the western territory."

"Western territory? You mean where Melchior's Hut and the Heckran Cave are?" Marle asked for confirmation.

"Yes, anyway I'm getting off track," Ty said shaking his head back and forth. "This mushroom doesn't grow well pretty much anywhere, leading me to believe that it came with the Fiends back in the Ice Age. The Hydra was an invasive species where I lived but this mushroom and the fungus that spawns it has the opposite problem..."

"And what would that be?" Crono asked.

"This species was unable to survive in our environment without help from the Fiends," Ty explained.

Janus added, "I believe the Furnace of Woe would have been the only suitable habitat for it if that's the case."

"Furnace of Woe?" Crono asked, head tilted.

"The Furnace of Woe was the deep pit that emerged well before even Antiquity," Janus began. "It was said by the Zealian people that, that hole is where the Fiends originally came from before many were taken and experimented on."

"So this mushroom," Tomo inquired. "What does it have to do with zombification?"

"I'm not totally sure. I need more samples," Ty said flatly.

"So where do we go? It looks like there is more than one place to start our search," Marle brought up.

Robo whirred, "I have a plan, Mister Drayguard!"

"Oh? What's up?" Ty asked curiously.

"If you are going to perform an experiment you will need samples from the best source first, for a control group," Robo claimed. "Over time, this fungus could have changed and adapted and created a new strain by Irma's time. I suggest returning to Antiquity for a pure sample and then to the Dawn of Guardia for another sample."

"Sounds like a good place to start, thanks, Robo," Ty said cheerfully.

"Alrighty, Crono, who are you taking with you?" Ty asked.

"I will accompany you," Janus interjected. "I know the Furnace and its Fiendlord. Procuring those mushrooms should be a simple task if I go with you."

"Okay, so it's Ty, Janus, and...," Crono began as he scanned his wide array of friends. Marle made goofy gestures toward keeping Lucca while staying out of her sight. Crono smiled uneasily, "Uh, Tomo, would you like to see the Furnace?"

Marle face-faulted as Tomo stepped forward, "Boy would I?! You bet!" she agreed vigorously.

With the party set, Crono guided everyone to the Neo Epoch, "All aboard!" he said strongly as everyone took their seat. With a hum of raw power contorting around them, the Neo Epoch bent the fabric of time and took off.

*Antiquity, 11,995 B.C.*

The Neo Epoch cracked the sky like a bolt of lightning as it appeared. Janus turned to Crono, "The continent we're seeking is to the east. You'll easily see the Furnace from up here. Just do as you did before and land this thing out of sight," Janus instructed.

"You got it!" Crono said with a nod.

It took little time to find the Furnace of Woe and Crono took the Neo Epoch down and rested it in a slightly rocky open field. Everyone disembarked and Janus spoke, "Let me handle the talking. Lady Mathilda is a very... interesting child, to say the least," he explained.

"So the Fiendlord is more of a Fiendlady in this era?" Ty asked curiously.

"Yes, she is an odd one," Janus replied.

With that, the party headed to their destination. Upon reaching the Furnace, the Gargoyle guards recognized Janus from his earlier visit. "Prince Janus of Zeal? You lived?" asked one of the guards.

"Yes, I am quite fine actually," Janus said speaking softly.

"Do you have some more business with Fiendlady Mathilda?" asked the other.

"Yes, if you wouldn't mind," Janus said gently.

"Very well then, you may pass," said the first guard with an apathetic shrug.

The two Gargoyles stood aside and let Janus and the others pass. The Fiends gave long and uncomfortable stares but Janus never batted an eye towards it. The rest of the party, however, tried their best to ignore it.

Eventually, the party came to Mathilda who blinked her eyes as she raised her brow in confusion. "Prince Janus!" she started with a smile. "So you survived after what happened in my arena? Good, good..., I assume you have returned for your sister's keepsake?"

"If you still have it I will gladly take it off your hands," Janus said. "In addition, I require another small favor."

"Oh, well, first of all," Mathilda began. "Your sister's pendant was lifted from my arena by a raven. It flew off with it. I do not know if that has meaning to you but that is all I can tell you. Second, what is this new little favor?" she finished.

Janus thought with a sigh, "The Crow Mother...," he mused. He regained his composure, "Ahem, my allies require samples of Mystic Wart. In another time and in another place, this mushroom has been traced back to a break out of undead fiends. We are currently investigating this problem."

"Hmm, Mystic Wart is it?" Mathilda began as she scratched her chin. "Tell me, what sort of Fiend would cause our own to fall to undeath?"

"A Lich perhaps?" Janus said eyebrow raised.

"Even us Fiends have our own fanatics. Such a being would definitely arouse suspicion," Mathilda said with caution. "However, a Lich is not allowed to be Fiendlord as they are often unbiased as to whom they use their craft on. Nevertheless, if someone is tampering with our main magical resource there would be hell to pay."

"I would assume so," Janus followed.

Mathilda thought deeply for a moment, "You know, recently I banished a certain witch, a previous Mystic Knight, that was hoarding Mystic Wart without my permission. Her name was Quin. Her behavior was quite fanatical indeed but I sensed no wrongdoing at the time until I was granted information from my resource managers. She would not tell me what she was doing with them. I assumed at first, that she was making some kind of ketchup with them or something of that nature. However, if that were the case why hide it? Anyway, to make a long story short, as punishment for her foolery I banished her from this place. I know not where she went," she finished as she crossed her arms in disgust.

"Thank you, Fiendlady Mathilda," Janus said politely.

She waved Janus off, "Yes, yes, now leave. I have much to do..."

With the new information, the party quickly made themselves scarce as they left the Furnace. The party made their way back to the Neo Epoch.

"So how do we find Quin?" Crono asked puzzled.

"We visit the Crow Mother, Raven...," Janus claimed.

"Oh, I remember her," Crono began. "We met with her when we came to bail Glenn out. Can we even find her in the Neo Epoch?"

"Yes, she lives on a high mountain peak so our ship should be able to spot it easily," Janus claimed. "We should not have to follow her crows any longer. With my sister's pendant in her possession, it would seem she is expecting me..."

"Oh, she got the hots for you?" Ty said with a smile.

"More or less...," Janus said flatly.

"Well, let's get going, we're burning time here!" Tomo said eagerly.

*Crow Mother's Palace*

In the Neo Epoch, Crono noticed both ravens and crows leading them whether they wanted them to or not. Eventually, the birds led them to a high peak just as Janus said. Crono landed the vessel in the most available spot. Everyone disembarked and then proceeded to trek the small distance to her home.

Crono knocked and the door simply opened as the crows gathered around. "This sure is a spooky place," he said.

The party entered and Raven sat on her cushions smiling at them. "Welcome, I knew you would return, Janus," she said softly. "Have you thought about my proposal?"

"I must give it more thought. I haven't had much time lately," Janus replied. "Either way, I heard from Fiendlady Mathilda that one of your crows scooped up my sister's pendant. Do you have it?"

"I do," Raven stated. "But first, a question."

"...?" replied Janus.

"Is this pendant something that you truly seek? Or is it something much deeper?" asked Raven. "Janus, I'm not going to pretend to know or even understand your suffering. Nevertheless, even suffering must come to an end. I see a spiritual string tied to this pendant. It points to the ruins of your once mighty kingdom. I will not tell you what to do or how to seek closer but I believe that your heart will find something in those ruins if you so choose to visit them," she said as she handed the pendant off to Janus.

"...," mused Janus as he stored it safely away.

"Now then, as for the rest of you, you seek a person do you not?" Raven asked the party.

Crono stepped forward, "Yes, do you know where a witch named Quin went? Mathilda said she banished her but doesn't know where she went."

"Yes, there is a mountain located on the continent south of the furnace. A small peninsula exists but it is cut off from the mainland by a mountain. With your wondrous machine, you can easily land on the peninsula and then reach the base of the mountain and the makeshift hut she now resides in," Raven explained.

"Awesome! Thanks so much!" Crono said gratefully.

"Beware though," Raven began seriously. "The person you seek covers a boiling hatred and vile disposition with a polite and gentle facade."

"We'll be sure to keep our eyes peeled!" Ty said with a smile.

Tomo faced Raven, "Thank you!" she said politely.

Everyone left her chambers with Janus giving her a gentle nod before leaving himself. Everyone boarded the Neo Epoch and away they went. It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. Tomo eyed the geography and quickly deduced something, "Hey, this is the continent that would one day become Choras!"

"For real?" Ty responded eyes widened. He looked down, "Yeah, I see it now!"

The party landed the Neo Epoch in a safe place and disembarked. The party then trekked its way towards the mountain. Upon reaching it, a small muddy hut came into view. A larger building stood behind it but was uninteresting. The party approached with caution as they heard a humming coming from within.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" Crono asked flatly.

The humming stopped and a female Fiend came to the door. She is as pale as a ghost and has long silver hair that curled slightly making it look a mess. She has sharp pale blue eyes, pointed ears, fangs in her mouth, and blood-red lipstick on her lips. Her figure was plump and voluptuous and she dressed in a long and flowing, ragged, black dress. She spoke, seemingly surprised, "Who are you? How did you find me?" she asked with a gentle tone.

"Ahem, sorry to bother you, but is your name, Quin?" Crono asked with a smile.

"Yes, that is my name. What brought you to me?" Quin asked suspiciously.

Ty spoke, trying not to laugh, "Excuse us, but do you have time to talk about our lord and savior, Neo Emperor Dalton?"

Tomo elbowed him in his side, "Stop goofing off you bone-head!"

Crono cleared his throat, "My friends and I need some samples of Mystic Wart-!" Crono began as Quin slammed the door in his face.

"No, sell, huh?" Ty asked.

Quin yelled from the other side of the door, "Did Mathilda tell you about me?! Go away I want nothing to do with you if that's the case! She and the rest of the Fiends have tormented me enough!"

Tomo looked around comically, wide-eyed, "Hey, where'd Janus go?"

Just as soon as Tomo finished her question, Quin's scream could be heard from inside her hut. "I think that answers your question," Ty replied.

Crono opened the door and his party rushed in to see Janus had already let himself in. He stood stoically before Quin. "We only spoke to Mathilda, we are not here on her behalf. We only ask for a few samples of Mystic Wart, then we will leave you be," Janus said calmly.

Quin growled, "Why do humans want my mushrooms? What could you possibly need them for?!"

"If you must know, we traced the source of a zombie infection back to the Mystic Wart as the main ingredient. We are attempting to find a cure," Janus explained.

Her complexion turned with reviled anger, "Zombies?! How did you know I was researching the power of undeath?!"

"...I have my ways...," Janus said stoically.

Ty sniffed the air, "That and I can smell dead tissue in the air around here."

"Is that what that is? Yuck!" Tomo said in disgust.

"Now I know I don't want you here poking around my business! Get out of here NOW!" Quin shouted furiously.

"Come on now, you don't want to...!" Crono said as he was cut off by a shriek from Quin. She blasted him with a burst of shadow magic. It sent him tumbling out the front door but he managed to recover and walk back in. "Huh, that didn't really hurt at all!" Crono said, inspecting himself.

Quin was surprised, "What the hell?! You should be in pieces right now!"

"We aren't exactly average people," Ty claimed.

"I don't care just get out of here!" Quin shouted some more.

While the commotion was going on, Tomo inspected the kitchen, "Hey, you guys! You should see this! There are both fiend and human body parts in here. You were right about the smell!" she said as she held her nose.

"I don't think you'll find anything good to eat in there, Tomo!" Crono said.

Quin was now boiling with rage, "You people! I will make guinea pigs out of all of you!"

Janus stood behind Quin his aura of magic visible as his eyes glowed. "I am genuinely surprised Mathilda did not end you back at the Furnace. I will end this now," Janus said with a deep breath.

His shadow magic took the form of many hands that seized Quin and with a scream of terror, she was enveloped by darkness. When the spell ended, she hit the floor with a loud 'thud', dead as a doornail.

"Well, I can't say she didn't have it coming...," Crono said with a sigh. "What did you do anyway?"

"A simple Death spell. It won't work on those who are as powerful or mightier than I, but a small witch like her stood no chance," Janus claimed flatly. "Shall we get this done?"

The party left her hut and entered the structure in the backyard. To their horror, it had many bodies, both fiend and human hanging from the ceiling and strewn out on tables. "Oh, that's nasty...," Ty said as he wafted the smell from his nose.

"This is horrifying!" Tomo said plugging her nose.

"Hey, look, the Mystic Wart are planted in these little farms!" Crono said trying to take his mind off the butchering sight.

Ty walked in and grabbed a small bag's worth, "Alright, we got what we came for! Let's leave this place to rot shall we?"

"Agreed...," Janus said flatly.

The party quickly made haste to leave the slaughterhouse and the premises altogether. However, unbeknownst to them, Quin's body began to twitch in strange ways.

The party quickly made their way back to the Neo Epoch, "All right, now we head to Irma's era to pick up samples from there too," Crono said as he started the engine. The Neo Epoch lifted off and like a lightning bolt, it took off into the fabric of time.

*Dawn of Guardia, 1 A.D.*

In a flash, the Neo Epoch appeared over the skies of the now established Kingdom of Guardia. Crono landed the Neo Epoch in the safety of a nearby meadow. It was close to the newly established village of Truce. The party disembarked and made their way to the village. "I wonder if Lex is okay," Crono said curiously.

"I'm sure he's fine, he was the only one to get out of that dungeon without getting nabbed by Dalton," Ty reminded.

"That being said, I wonder if he thinks we're dead?" Tomo added.

"Well, let's surprise both him and Irma!" Crono chuckled.

*Village of Truce*

As soon as the party entered Truce they quickly made their way to Irma's stone-made hut. It was the largest in the village and was easy to spot. The wooden floor creaked and moaned with the party's entry and Irma, standing at the back of the room, surrounded by guards took notice. Her eyes brightened as she rose from her seat. "Can it be?!" she gasped as she approached Crono. "You have survived! This is great!" she cheered.

"Yeah, we had a bumpy ride but we're all safe!" Crono said with a smile.

"Wonderful, and here I was worried for nothing! After Lex appeared from the depths of that dungeon without you I had assumed the worst! Yet, here you are! Ah, such a relief!" Irma said with a deep breath.

"Actually, I'll get straight to the point, Lady Irma," Crono began. Her attention was now transfixed on him, "We need to know where we can find some Mystic Wart. It's the mushroom Fiends use. My friends and I are performing an experiment and we need some samples," he finished.

Irma noted the serious tone, "Unfortunately, I despise mushrooms, so I haven't any here. But, I just recently sent Lex to assist the Medinians, the Regionnans, and Gerzbuehlans on a new continent. I want to establish a town there, but it would seem the Fiends there are quite hostile. The only way I would know of to gather Fiend-related materials would be to go there and..., ahem, 'barrow' some," she explained thoroughly.

"Well, I knew this wouldn't be easy," Crono slumped.

"Well, if you are going to the new continent, might I suggest one of my vessels?" Irma suggested kindly. "Oh, if you would, please let Lex know you all survived. He was in a slump since he came back. I'm sure he would enjoy fighting by your side again!" Irma said vigorously.

"That's great, but we have a ship of our own. So we can make the trip just fine!" Crono asked eagerly.

"Of course, my long-lost sister would have a ship of her own!" Irma said strongly. "Oh, but beware, legend has it that an eternal night is cast over the northernmost region of the new continent. That is certainly a bone-chilling sentiment...," Irma said growing more serious.

"Right, we'll be careful!" Crono said strongly with a thumbs-up gesture. Irma seem confused by the gesture but returned it nonetheless. Crono's party left the village and made their way back to the Neo Epoch.

The party arrived safely on the edge of the new continent that one day would become Medina. They disembarked and took in their surroundings.

"While we're here, a quick history lesson!" Tomo said. "We are here in the small village of Regiorra. It was built in this era by the Regionnan family. It doesn't exist by our time because Irma actually never succeeds in taking control of this continent."

"Yeah, she gets close though," Ty followed. "She gets so close in fact, that she manages to declare this continent as Medina after the Medinian tribe. The Regionnans and Gerzbuehlans managed to set up provinces here. However, about two centuries later and the Fiends managed to destroy the majority of them. The Fiends take control of the continent and the rest of those tribes flee."

"This is why by our time, the Fiends are living in human-style houses instead ones of their own design," Tomo elaborated. "They even went as far as to call themselves 'Medinians' after the people they exterminated.

"Interesting, you guys are so well versed in history!" Crono complimented.

"It comes with being part of the Explorer Corps.!" Ty said with a growing smile.

"I learned this when the Fiends took me in as a child," Janus claimed. "They were quite proud of themselves."

"I've always wondered why they didn't just... eat you," Crono said puzzled.

"It's because of my magic...," Janus claimed. "You see, there are actually two types of Fiends. Type one, or the true 'Fiend' like from the Furnace for instance are the human-like ones. Lady Mathilda, Quin, and Mayonne are examples. The second type of Fiend is the more monstrous version, such as gargoyles and imps. These are crafted by the first type of Fiend and we Zealians learned this practice from them."

"That's how all that works?!" Crono replied with astonishment. "But you know, it does make sense. Now we know why all the human-like Fiends are the ones at the top."

"Getting back on track," Ty said. "We should ask around to see if anyone knows what Lex's current status is."

"Great idea, all right everyone, let's get started," Crono ordered.

The party readied themselves and moved on. They asked around for information on Lex. The majority of folks told them he would be found at a Gerzbuehlan encampment east of Regiorra. It was set up just outside a dark forest. And so they went. The party left the village and made the trek to the Gerzbuehlan camp.

*Gerzbuehlan Encampment*

Upon the party's arrival, they searched for Lex but couldn't find him. So they asked around to see if anyone knew of his whereabouts. The first villager responded, "Lex? Yes, he went into the forest! He led a small group of warriors in hopes of taking more ground for us Gerzbuehlans!"

The next villager was in awe at the forest, "It is such a strange place. The legend is true. It is a place of eternal night. I swear if we do not keep our torches lit when night falls on this encampment it feels as though the forest will consume us!"

The last knowable villager responded, "I keep hearing rumors of some ancient necropolis hidden in the forest. Some say it has the power to appear and vanish! Imagine that, an entire cemetery that is able to move!"

Crono's party broke away from being social and stood before the forest that seemed to creak and moan with every passing breeze. "All right everyone, shall we go find Lex?" Crono asked, readying up.

Everyone gave a nod or a cheer and the party then left the encampment. The forest was dark and the wind howled softly. The tree branches hung low and felt as though they would reach out at someone at any moment. The party continued for some time until they began hearing noises, the rustling of plant life in the distance. Janus threw back his cape, "We are being hunted. Ty, Tomo, remember when I said I was interested in seeing how you perform with your magic? Now's the time...," he finished.

"Alrighty then!" Ty responded with a smile.

"You got it!" Tomo followed.

Just as the party drew their weapons, Gargoyles and Imps leaped out from the darkness. The Imps charged Crono and his friends but were easily cut down. This made the gargoyles angry as they spread their wings and glided toward the party.

"Wind Spiral!" Ty shouted as he blew a gargoyle away and against a tree.

"Earth Rumble!" shouted Tomo as she crushed another one with her earth magic.

"Dark Bomb...," Janus said softly as a group of Fiends were decimated by the following explosion of space.

"Look out! The next wave is coming in hard!" Crono warned.

Gremlins and Naga-ettes followed their compatriots and managed to get some good scratches and bites in on the party. The party retaliated with their own strikes but found that Fiends still had quite a resistance towards physical damage.

Janus faced Ty, "Ty, follow my lead...," Janus said as he cast another Dark Bomb.

"I hear you loud and clear!" Ty said as he followed with a Wind Spiral.

"The 'Black Wind' howls...," Janus said as his Dark Bomb mixed with Ty's tornado to create a swirling torrent of dark energy. The dark swirling mass swept away a trio of Naga-ettes.

"Oh, me next, me next!" Tomo said eagerly.

"Very well then," Janus said as he began another Dark Bomb.

Tomo cheered as she used an Earth Rumble spell. The two spells mixed and the explosion created a decently sized hole in the forest floor. The pit was dark and seemed to draw in the Gremlins. It then closed strongly, crushing those who were sucked inside. "Oh, a 'Pitfall'! Neato!" Tomo said with intrigue.

Janus tilted his head with interest, "...Impressive...," he said softly.

Crono turned to Janus, "Ha, you must be in a good mood! Why don't you and I try one! We didn't get to the first time around!"

"As you wish...," Janus said as he whipped up another Dark Bomb.

Crono fused the Dark Bomb with his Lightning Bolt and a black lightning bolt struck the group of Fiends and chained to nearby ones then exploded with ferocity. "Wow, I'm gonna call that one Nega Bolt!" Crono said with delight.

"...," Janus replied quietly. "It would seem our opposition has halted for a moment. We should move forward," he noted.

"Yeah, we really should get the lead out," Ty said urgently. "I should have mentioned this earlier but history claims that Lex dies early on in Irma's campaign on this continent. Maybe we have a chance to save him if this is that moment!"

"I know we're supposed to preserve history as much as we can but it's already changed significantly, so what's one more little change," Tomo said with an uneasy laugh.

The party moved forward undauntedly until another set of Fiends decided to attack. "Dark Mist," Janus chanted as a black wave of consuming fog enveloped the fiends.

Ty noted the thick fog, "Hey, do that again! I got an idea."

"...Very well," Janus agreed as he chanted.

Janus conjured more Dark Mist and Ty summoned a Wind Storm. The Dark Mist got caught up in the two tornados and swept away the offenders. "That was one Dark Storm!" Ty said with a smile. Janus simply chuckled quietly to himself.

The party moved on once the peace was restored. Eventually, a darkened cemetery could be seen in the distance. "Hey, I wonder if that's that necropolis the villagers spoke of," Crono said, eyebrow raised.

"Hmm, it looks really old. I wonder if it's got a caretaker?" Tomo asked rhetorically.

"We'll have to get closer to see if it's the real deal and not some illusion," Ty claimed.

"Tread carefully," Janus added, trying to get a better look through the trees.

The party continued their hike and yet another group of Fiends emerged. Goblins and Hobgoblins wielding crossbows ambushed them. "Hey, Janus, can I borrow a Dark Mist too? I got a spell I've been aching to try since Prehistory!" Tomo asked cheerfully.

"Let's see what you can do...," Janus said as he chanted.

Tomo cast a new spell, "My Natural Gas spell should mix well with that Dark Mist!" she said as the two spells merged. The ground opened up beneath the Goblins in a series of cracks. Plumes of a dark gas emerged and enveloped them. The Goblins became dizzy, blinded, and afraid as they began attacking one another and their Hobgoblin cohorts.

Ty chuckled, "Hey, you moving in on my territory? Air and Wind are my things!"

Tomo stuck out her tongue playfully, "Turns out as long as it's a gas produced within the planet I can mess with it!"

"Naturally...," Ty ended with another chuckle.

"Let's keep moving, that necropolis is just within reach!" Crono stated.

The party moved on and finally, they made it to the withered cemetery. Sepulchers and Mausoleums stood side by side making the place a spooky labyrinth. The party wandered around quietly. Crono spoke softly, "Remember we're here for Lex, so keep a sharp eye out for him!"

The party searched for a long time but began to grow frustrated as the Necropolis's maze-like structure confused and confounded them. Tomo finally caved under the frustration. She stood atop a tombstone and gave a great shout, "HEY LEX, ARE YOU OUT HERE OR WHAT?!"

"Tomo! Your gonna wake the dead with that mouth of yours!" Ty scolded.

Before Crono could reply, Janus interrupted him, "Be silent! Do you hear that?" he said pointing in a specific direction. The party followed the muffled shouts and screams and as they got louder, Tomo kept calling Lex's name. The muffled shouts got louder and louder until a stone coffin that had a crack in it came to their attention. "There, that one!" Tomo said as she took her mace out and crushed the thick stone lid. The lid crumbled to reveal Lex who was breathing hard and badly injured.

Lex was taken with astonishment as the party began to dig him out of the rubble. He panted and coughed, "Y-you survived?! How fortuitous!"

"Yeah, we had a bumpy ride but we're all okay!" Ty reassured as he threw another rock off Lex.

He could barely sit up thanks to his injuries, "He's hurt pretty badly. Shall I give him some meds?"

"Yeah, give him one of the Elixirs, he should be fine after that," Crono instructed.

Tomo gave Lex an Elixir and he hastily and shakily gulped it down. He quickly began to recuperate and with the help of Crono and Ty, was able to get out of the coffin.

Lex leaned against the coffin and breathed deeply. "Thank you so much... I don't know what would have become of me if I were to stay in there much longer."

Janus watched and mused with his arms crossed, "Hmm, so this is what became of him. Buried alive. What a nasty way to perish..." he thought. "Who placed you in this coffin?" he then asked.

Lex faced Janus, "You are a new face. Another friend I presume?" he asked finally calming down and catching his breath. "Err, sorry, about your question. It was the Fiends that placed me in there. There were simply too many to fight off. They murdered all the men I was leading and then began hunting me down. I don't remember much after a strong bash to the back of my head though. Just... some voices," he explained with a chill.

"What did they say? Anything interesting?" Crono asked eagerly.

Lex paused, "They spoke of how the Fiendlord wanted to raise the dead from this Necropolis and create an army. I did not know they had such power!"

"Do you know who the Fiendlord is?" Janus asked calmly.

"No, unfortunately...," Lex said sadly. "After I fell into that aqueduct in that dungeon it washed me outside. When you all did not come out, Irma and I spent a few days combing the dungeon as to where you went but we found none. We took all the treasures and as we began to leave to return to the village we were attacked in the night by a party of Fiends. They took that Frozen Flame jewel that we encountered and nothing else. We were befuddled!"

Everyone's eyes widened with shock, "Quick, do you know where the Fiendlord hides?" Janus asked hurriedly.

Lex nodded, "Yes, I overheard the Fiends as they huddled outside this coffin. They claim the Fiendlord hides in a labyrinth underneath a particular gravestone. I believe they said the name on the stone was 'Quin'."

"No way!" Ty said in disbelief.

Janus sighed, "What a pain..."

"...But, but we...!" Tomo muttered.

"Dammit!" Crono cursed.

Lex was lost, "What, do you know this person?"

"Look, Crono, we've come this far, we should just tell him," Ty said genuinely.

"Alright, here goes..., I'll give him the short version...," Crono said. Crono elaborated on their trip through time from where they last met up until now. "Sorry, we don't have time to tell you more, but you were supposed to die here but we managed to find you in time," he finished.

Lex was astonished and needed a moment to process things. "Such a tale... but it does make sense. You all speak differently, dress differently and even Lady Marle, the woman with you, isn't simply related to Lady Irma, she's her descendant!" Lex continued.

"Yeah, I've actually just been crowned as King in my era," Crono stated.

"If you are King of our nation in the future then I should assist you as I do Lady Irma. Come, I heard the fiends who spoke of Quin's grave walk this way so perhaps it's over here," Lex urged.

The party followed Lex as they searched grave after grave. Luckily, one of the oldest graves stood out. The Fiend language read, 'Quin' on the stone. The party rejoiced and Tomo grabbed hold of the lid trying to get a good grip on it, "Hey, Ty, help me move this lid before I bust a gut!" she said in a hurried frustration.

As the lid was removed, a stone-made staircase was revealed and led underground. Well, here goes nothin'!" Ty said with resolve.

The party entered the labyrinth below. Skeletons stuffed neatly into walls lined the labyrinth and seemed to whisper to them. The low light was given by lanterns and it did little to light the rather gothic decor the Fiends were known for. The party searched and searched but found the Necropolis to be strangely quiet. Eventually, the party found a room that coincided with their needs.

It was a laboratory. The Mystic Wart was being grown here in droves. Ty cracked his knuckles, "Alrighty, this is just the place I was looking for!" he said with a smile.

"Can you really perform the experiment here?" Tomo asked with a shiver.

"Yep, just give me a few minutes. I'll go over their notes and see what they're up to!" Ty said as he grabbed the animal skin parchments and began to translate the Fiend language. Janus offered his help with the translating.

After roughly two hours had gone by, Ty came to a solid conclusion, "Yep, the Mystic Warts here are being grown as a catalyst for mind control and eventually undeath. Dying while this new breed of fungus has been growing inside you will result in reanimation so the fungus can spread. However, it looks like this new strain has a much easier time surviving in this world than its original counterpart did." he deduced. "It was given this trait so it could spread easier."

"So what do we do?" Crono asked.

"If this Quin is still around as a Lich then we have to destroy her work," Ty began. "But I feel like a countermeasure may be necessary. It seems like the Fiends experiments are already underway in the forest further up the north. If we had the Life Sparkle then we could easily fix this problem!"

"Life Sparkle? I heard you and Eston mention that before. What is it?" Crono asked curiously.

"It's a special flower that only blooms in the worst environments," Ty claimed. "And I mean absolute worst environments. We don't have the options to grow it though... unless...," he said getting an idea. A crazy idea. "Hey Crono, c'mere for a second, I want to run something by you!"

Tomo didn't like being left out of the loop, "Hey, that's not fair I want to know what's going on!"

Ty smiled gently while looking into her eyes, "Tomo, I need you to trust me on this one. Just follow Crono here and everything will be fine."

Just like that, Ty and Crono had a private conversation, Crono understanding every word, but his expression told everyone that he wasn't really liking Ty's plan. Nevertheless, he understood the seriousness behind it.

Crono took a deep breath as he faced the other three party members. "Lex, will you accompany us back to our ship?" he asked with a serious tone.

"Certainly, I will help in any way I can!" Lex replied eagerly.

"But how will we get everyone back, there are only four seats...," Tomo said as she was cut off by Ty.

"Easy, I'm not going back with you. Lex is going to take my place for a while," Ty said with an almost complacent smile.

"WHAT?!" Tomo shouted as she grabbed Ty's arms. "What do you mean you're not going back?!"

"Shh, it's only temporary...," Ty began speaking softly. "I'm going to try and get the Life Sparkle to spawn, but I need time. More than we have right here. I'm going to stay behind and make the preparations in this lab. You guys need to hop forward in time to see if it works. I'd say..., head home to our era. One thousand years should be enough for it to grow."

"B-but...!" Tomo said with worry.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Just remember to come back and get me alright?" Ty said with a laugh.

Crono reached out and grabbed her arm gently, "Come one, we've done this with Robo before. Ty will be okay," he reassured.

As Tomo was led out by the others, Tomo found herself unable to take her eyes off him as he waved them off with a smile, "I'm coming back for you dammit! So don't do anything too stupid!" she shouted trying to calm herself.

Once they left, everything was quiet. Ty barricaded the room, making sure he was unable to be disturbed. "Alright, let's get to work!" he said as he reached into his tool kit and pulled out an old manuscript. "I really hope this works!"

*End of Chapter*