Chrono Corruption
Act 6: Preparations
Chapter 42: Caelus Trigger
*3000 B.C. Mysterious Beach*
Crono gazed up at the massive building that loomed over the beach. The tower was composed of many other significant landmarks from throughout history. "My dad is up there. I can feel it. Do you see me, Dad? Because I'm coming for you!"
With that, the party made their way up the beach and through the tropical brush. Monsters stood in their way but they were much easier than the ones found in the Prison of Time so the party made short work of them. Eventually, the party came to the ruins of a seaside village that looked like it was devastated by a storm. No people were around so the party kept moving on.
As the party moved on a valley awaited them that was also filled with monsters. Once again they were easily dealt with and the party quickly made their way to the other side of the valley. Once they emerged, the spooky tower loomed over nothing but a tall grassy field.
After some time, the party finally reached the base of the tower. The base in question was reminiscent of the Temple of the Red Star.
"It looks like somebody wants some mementos from throughout time," Crono said with levity.
"No kidding! This tower sure is something!" Lucca said impressed.
"I wonder if these are just copies from deleted timelines instead of genuine ones," Marle pondered.
"They are most likely variants," Janus replied. "This whole island is artificial..."
"It reminds me of the Black Omen incident but this time, it's all Dalton's vision," Crono stated. Crono took a deep breath, "Well, let's go knock!" He said with a smile.
A massive flight of steep stairs stood before them and the party began their ascent. Once they came to the top they entered the temple. Inside, the temple was nothing but a vast room with a ceiling held up by tall columns. The monsters were few and far between. Eventually, after some searching, the Reptite's elemental seal was found and the party stepped onto it.
The seal transported them, but it felt like it took them down through the floor instead of up. Surely enough, when they appeared, they found themselves in a place that resembled the Singing Mountain Reptite Base from Prehistory. Janus found the seal intriguing, "Hmm, it seems this tower in and of itself, is a maze. Perhaps these seals will eventually lead us to the top floor."
"That's kind of annoying," Crono said with irritation.
The girls slumped with a sigh but they continued nonetheless. This section of the tower contained both Reptites and Dragonians who seemed completely out of their minds. Other dinosaurs also roamed the shattered halls but still had enough awareness to avoid lava pools that leaked all over the floors.
The party paused, "Dinosaurs, Reptites, and Dragonians? What is this place? A time capsule?" Crono said bewildered.
"...More like an Ark...," Janus murmured.
After some searching and fighting, the party tested out a few seals they found only for them to lead to dead ends filled with either danger or valuable treasures. Eventually, they found the seal that transported them to the next section of the tower. The seal moved them upward out of the pit, past the temple section, and dumped them off in a building of Fiend architecture.
This building was very similar to the Fiend hideout from the Dawn of Guardia. The architecture was strange and meaningless as if the architect had no idea what the pieces they were working with were for. Stairs that led nowhere, red carpets that led straight into walls, and doors that opened to reveal solid walls, were present. The party battled undead enemies as well as Fiends. Like before, some seals led to dead ends and goods but eventually, the party navigated themselves to the correct seal and they made progress.
This new area gave them a cold sweat. It was a ruined version of Chronopolis. "What the hell?!" Crono said in distress.
Lucca followed, "They got Chronopolis melded into this place too?!"
"This feels wrong, just wrong," Marle added.
"It is almost as if they are desecrating a grave...," Janus said making an analogy.
Like the last areas, the place was twisted. Insane robots patrolled empty hallways looking for quite possibly anything that would trip their sensors. Electronic doors kept the party guessing where to go as well as a spiral staircase that was illuminated by humming lights. Just like the previous floors, the party eventually made progress as they found the seal.
The next area was undoubtedly the Guardia Castle catacombs, but it was the Middle Age's version of it. This area was small but still every bit as dangerous. Powerful monsters were held behind locked portcullis and they snarled as the party made their way through. When they reached the door that should have led to Guardia Castle they were led to a disheveled version that was from the Present era. Marle and Crono were not surprised and steeled their resolve, "Don't pay any mind to it, Marle. This isn't our home," Crono said noticing his wife's discomfort. She nodded in response. The party searched through the empty, twisted halls, and luckily, they came to the seal that helped them progress.
The next area was a factory that held tanks full of mutants. The technology was from around 2012 A.D. It was the factory where the Central Regime was keeping their experiments with Lavos's DNA. Janus mused again, "This place is definitely an Ark of some kind. Dalton surely intends to populate the planet with them once he awakens."
"That won't happen! We're the ones coming to wake him up!" Crono said strongly.
"And put him back down to 'sleep'!" Lucca followed.
Strangely, as the party progressed, they ended up in a place that resembled the Robot Colosseum from Robo's era. It was very eerie without customers cheering on the battlers. Especially, when a large cracked brick wall stood at the bottom of the bleachers where viewers would watch the competition. If there were viewers, they would be facing nothing but stone. Doan's office was empty but it held the seal so they could progress.
Finally, they were outside. The sky above swirled and danced with lightning. The top floor was like a continuation of the Temple of the Red Star but it was mixed with some traces of Zealian architecture mixed in. Crono braced himself, "This is it! Is everyone ready?"
Everyone gave confirmation without words and they ascended the flight of stairs. At the top, there he was, levitating with his gaze set to the sky above, still in the Aura Surge state. Caelus Trigger glowed with a golden light that danced around him and flared off into the sky above.
Crono approached, teeth clenched, "Dad, that's enough now! It's time to go home!"
Caelus reacted as if being awakened from a nightmare. The golden aura he emitted died down and he touched the ground. He faced his son and opened his eyes. "Welcome to, Tower Apocalypse. Crono, you have made me so proud," He began eerily. "Your mother and I love you so much... That is why, sometimes, I want to smash you to bits!" He said as Lavos grasped at his mind.
"Red flag!" Lucca shouted as she drew her gun.
The party drew their weapons and so did Caelus. With blinding speed and a war cry, Crono and his dad clashed. They traded sword slashes and parries as Marle and Lucca took potshots at him when he was in range. This time, Lucca and Marle could hit Caelus with their shots. Janus blessed Crono with a Magic Wall.
Despite all their training, Caelus still proved to be quite the opponent. "Sonic Slash!" Crono shouted as he attacked his dad.
The sword beams forced them apart and Caelus stumbled a bit. Lucca took the opportunity, "Trigger Happy!" She announced as she peppered Caelus with rapid fire.
"Snow Warning," Marle chanted as she bathed the field in a blinding whiteout.
Janus appeared behind Caelus, "Soul Geyser!" He announced strongly as Caelus was pummeled.
Caelus seemed mostly unharmed as he kicked things up a notch. He held the Rainbow Sword high, "Cyclone," He announced as he began to spin wildly. He hit everyone but Crono.
Crono faced Marle, "Sweetie, let's use an Aura Whirl!"
"Ouch! Okay!" Marle agreed as she picked herself up.
Marle blessed Crono's sword and he spread the healing magic to the party, restoring them. "Ready, for Round 2?!" Crono asked strongly as he rushed his dad.
Caelus's Aura Surge lost its gleaming aura but his hair was still gold. He fought just as hard, however. The two clashed once again as Janus used his Magic Wall on the rest of the party and himself. Marle and Lucca provided more support, "Blast Arrows!" said the two as Marle shot the powerful arrow into the sky.
Caelus broke the clash with a Sonic Slash of his own. However, it was too, late. Crono simply took that momentum to move out of the way while Caelus was hit with the explosive rain of arrows. While he was stunned by ringing in his ears, Janus took the opportunity to attack, "Elemental Shift: Lurking Shadows!" He chanted. Hands made from shadows crawled up to Caelus and bound him. The shadows began to drain him of his energy until he broke free.
Caelus became desperate and he backed off. He smiled weakly as he began a spell. "Sky Gate!" He finished quickly. The Sky Gate hit the party with walls of hard light that were as thin as sheets of glass. They cut through the party cleanly. Marle responded with a Cure Splash and restored herself and her friends.
Caelus was winded and his Aura Surge was now dim. The form was taking its toll on his body and he was now exhausted. Crono and the party fought back and began to beat Caelus down with light attacks, hoping he would submit and give up. However, after taking one hell of a beating, Caelus did the opposite and roared with power, repelling the party. Caelus raised his sword again and used his Aura Surge's unique spell, "Ultra Nova!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.
Suddenly, a small sphere of light popped up from the ground and it mesmerized the party. It quickly began to grow in size and it enveloped everything like a star in the night sky. The explosion was so powerful everything went silent.
As the light cleared, Caelus stood still in a slumped state his Aura Surge ended. Crono and his party were on the ground but miraculously, were not defeated. The party got to their feet and suddenly, a sickly energy emerged from behind Caelus. The Frozen Flame appeared with a bright flash. It opened and gleamed. Caelus fell back and passed out and the Frozen Flame began to draw him in with the intent to absorb him.
Lucca shouted, "Crono, Ty's cure! You have to inject your dad with it!"
"Right!" Crono said as he picked himself up and made the strongest dash of his life.
Crono leaped onto his dad and took out the gun. He placed the nozzle up to his dad's neck and pulled the trigger. The medicine entered his body and Crono threw away the gun. "Dad, wake up!" Crono cried out.
In an instant, Caelus began writhing as if in a nightmare he could not awaken from. As he drew closer to the Flame, the Flame suddenly stopped. The Flame began to screech and scream with Lavos's otherworldly voice and a pulse of light shot down from the Flame and through the tower. The tower shook and began to crumble a little.
Crono and his party began to levitate as the tower crumbled beneath them and Caelus fell from Crono's grip. He fell into the failing structure until he could no longer be seen, "DAAAAD!" cried out Crono.
The power of the Frozen Flame transported the party to a bluish-pocket dimension where they fought Lavos before. There, the splinter glared at the party with a hate far beyond words or vocal expression. "This is it! We're gonna finish you off, Lavos! Bring your new friend, Dalton out to play! We'll finish him too!" Crono said strongly.
The Flame began to levitate around in a mesmerizing pattern. It cast a Scintillation spell and electrocuted the party. Still reeling from Caelus's Ultra Nova, Marle bathed the party in a Cure Splash. The party attacked the Flame with their weapons and they were now strong enough to scratch the Flame's hard shell but not by much. Each hit caused the Flame some disorientation but no real lasting harm.
"It's still every bit as tough as Lavos's shell! Let's try Magic instead!" Crono said, changing tactics.
The Frozen Flame danced in the air and made alien sounds that almost sounded like some kind of laughter or chanting. The Flame continued to hit the party with basic mid-tier spells and pulses of chaotic energy.
Crono made a strong stance, "Luminaire!" He cast.
Lucca followed, "Flare!" She cast.
"Snow Warning!" Marle chanted.
"Dark Matter," Janus cast calmly.
The Flame was bombarded and magic proved to be slightly more effective than physical assaults. The Frozen Flame was truly a splinter of Lavos's near-invincible shell. With this, the Flame changed tactics and opened two black starry portals that brought forth two identical iron-colored mutants. Their tomato-like heads and torsos sat atop their legs that were webbed together at the ankles. They glared at the party with something of a blank expression, their eye's bulging.
"It called for help!" Marle shrieked.
"Eew, are these the mutants from those tanks?" Lucca asked rhetorically.
"It won't matter in a minute here!" Crono said as he raised his sword.
They began marching towards the party and attacked with familiar techniques. These two mutants had the inherited powers of the Priest Beast and the Frog King. "Antipode Blitz!" Marle and Lucca shouted strongly. The two mutants were turned to ash and the Frozen Flame was thrown to the ground. The party then went in for more physical attacks while the Flame was vulnerable.
When the Flame had enough, it pushed the party back with a pulse of energy as it regained its composure. It then opened four portals and four bio-mechanical, levitating machines came through. These machines had armored human-like heads with one glowing eye. Their bodies were comprised of a heavily armored torso with two long arms. These four machines had a dark starry color scheme.
"What is it doing? Does it think these low-level monsters are gonna stop us?" Marle asked as she readied her bow.
"I don't think these are regular monsters, Marle!" Lucca shouted back as she dodged machine gun fire.
The four robots attacked with low-level elemental spells and some robotic weaponry as it became apparent who they were supposed to represent. "Hey, Janus, let's use a Dark Nebula and send these droids packing!" Crono said as he dodged a laser.
Janus nodded with a smile and the two cast their spell, "Dark Nebula!"
The spell tore through the droids and they were destroyed. The Frozen Flame was knocked to the ground once more and the party began assaulting it again, hoping to crack it wide open like an alien egg.
To no avail, the Frozen Flame leaped up into the air and its movements were now more erratic. It would be a miracle for either Marle or Lucca to even shoot it accurately. The Frozen Flame opened two more portals and two creatures stepped through. A purple, blob-like monster that had four eyes and fish-like lips came to the Flame's right side. To the left, an insect-eyed, reptilian beast with a body like a small t-rex and a mouth like a sea anemone with sharp teeth emerged.
"The Flame is taunting us. What cruel fates its Disciples have received...," mused Janus as he adjusted his glove.
The blob had many death spells and even tried to turn Crono's party into zombies at points while the prehistoric mutant had access to Reptite and Dragonian witchcraft. Janus turned to Marle, "Lend me your Snow Warning if you would," He asked politely.
"Okay!" Marle agreed.
Janus cast his Soul Geyser and it mixed with the snow, "Frigid Souls!" He announced as bone-chilling wisps tore through the mutants and the Flame.
The monsters were defeated and the Flame once again was cast to the ground where Crono's party attacked it again. This time, after the Flame pushed the party back, it cracked. The Flame took notice and it began to beat like a heart. Its power began to warp the pocket dimension as the Flame continued to crack and ooze. Just then, the blue color of the pocket dimension changed to that of green and a massive cocoon appeared in a bright flash of light. The cocoon was fleshy and round. It beat and pulsated.
"What is that?!" Marle shrieked in disgust.
"...Dalton...," Janus said stoically his eyes narrowing.
"So this is what that Priest Beast meant when he said Dalton was 'sleeping'," Crono recalled.
"Look, the Flame is going up to it!" Lucca warned.
The Frozen Flame attached itself to the gooey cocoon and it began to pulsate like a bag of worms. "Quickly, destroy it!" Janus shouted.
Marle quickly healed the party and they began a desperate assault. It took little damage like before and it repelled the party with a Halation spell. The wave threw the party back and they needed time to recover. The Flame tried to wipe them out with a Luminaire but thankfully, they recovered with a Mega Elixir they all shared before it hit. Marle healed the party from the damage and the party cast their own powerful spells trying to burst the cocoon. The Flame and the party went through several rounds of high-tier spell casting and recovering when necessary. Finally, the Flame opened the cocoon with a bright flash of light that bathed the dimension.
"Did we do it?!" Marle asked as she covered her eyes.
"No, we did not!" Janus said with a horrified expression.
The party was in awe at what emerged. The Frozen Flame had evolved into a new Lavos Spawn. The new addition, however, was where the shock truly came from. On the Spawn's back, a pale purplish Dalton was fused with it at the hip. His over-muscular body was chiseled and veins pulsated from under the skin. His long white hair flowed behind him as ancient depictions of angelic beings and his black eyes stared them down with little red pinpricks of light. Two horns made from Lavos's chiton adorned his forehead. One pointed up and the other pointed down.
Dalton grinned wickedly, "Greetings, puny ants... I, the Neo Emperor, have arrived... Born anew... Are you not impressed by my new chariot? Maybe afraid? I ride atop this magnificent beast! Immortal, everlasting, and all-powerful! I am so glad my nemeses were the first to bare witness to my rebirth! I shall consume you, then this miserable little world!" He laughed maniacally.
Crono scoffed, "You won't be leaving this dimension, Dalton! The world won't even know of your existence!"
"For my dad! For my country and its people! And for the Future, we will kill you!" Marle followed.
"And people said I have a big ego! That's all this bastard is!" Lucca mocked.
"Foolish man, I will send your soul screaming into the darkness between the stars...," Janus threatened.
"Then come, I'll even give you this first attack just so I can show you how futile it is!" Dalton said arrogantly.
"You asked for it, Dalton! Luminaire!" Crono attacked.
"Flare!" Lucca followed.
"Snow Warning!" Marle chanted.
"Dark Matter...," Janus chanted firmly.
Each spell hit spot on and Dalton laughed. "You see?! It is all pointless!" He shouted pridefully as a little trickle of blood came from his bottom lip. He didn't seem to notice, but the party did.
Dalton attacked the party with Gale Slashes and Energy Spheres. The party dodged and parried, and retaliated with their own attacks. Dalton kept laughing even as he took obvious damage. He would occasionally attack with an Iron Sphere as well, but Marle kept the party going.
Dalton smiled wickedly again, "Is that all you have? I'm not even breaking a sweat and I already have you peons on the ropes! Are you ready? Once I leave here I shall Scorch all the world's lands!" He threatened as he cast a powerful fire spell that rivaled Lucca's Flare.
Lucca laughed at Dalton out of pity, "I've been hit with far hotter..."
Dalton raised a brow, then smiled again, "Really, well then how about a little cold? I will put every ocean into a Deep Freeze!" He said as he hit the party with a Water spell of near-equal strength to Marle's Snow Warning.
The party was forced to the ground but easily got back up, Marle's expression was one of childish irritation as she puffed her cheeks, "You call that cold? I've eaten ice cream colder than that!"
Dalton grew irritated but tried hard to keep his facade of superiority. Before he could shoot back with another insult, Lucca interrupted, "Let's show him what happens when you cross those elements, Marle!"
"You got, it!" She agreed. "Antipode Blitz!" Marle and Lucca said together.
Dalton was peppered with powerful explosions triggered by pockets of crossing elemental forces. Dalton rose from the explosions with burns and bruises on his otherwise perfect skin. However, he remained indignant. "Fine! Perhaps Plasma that dances across the sun cast from my very fingertips will show you the light!" Dalton said as he bathed the party in his own version of Luminaire.
Crono's party quickly recovered, "Are you serious, Dalton? You're just slapping new names on other people's spells and them doing them worse?"
Dalton was bothered by Crono's insult but blocked it out, trying to turn it back on them, "If you will not see the light, then fall into the darkness of the Nether!" He continued as he performed a somewhat weaker version of Dark Matter.
Janus remained cold, "Not nearly dark enough..."
"Let's make it darker for him!" Crono said to Janus. "Dark Nebula!" said the Two.
Dalton was enveloped in a darkness that rivaled the vacuum of space. When it passed, his gaze was downcast. He seemed to convulse but then he rose up and burst out laughing. "Ah, I see now, I am beating you all so senseless you have become delusional!"
Crono's party raised their brows in varying degrees over Dalton's ludicrous statement. "And to think, I have not even tapped into Lavos's power yet!" He continued.
"Trust me, Dalton, you're the only one who is delusional here!" Crono spat back.
"Delusional? Me? No, for you see, I can now tap into that lovely power that all of you have been enjoying up until this point! What did you call it? The Aura Surge? No, I call it, The Emperor's Blessing!"
Lucca and Marle stuck their tongues out in disgust, "Blech!"
Crono smirked, "You go right ahead! I'd like to see you try!"
"Very well, you blasphemers! I will show you the true power of Lavos!" He said as he began to force the power-up.
Janus's eyes narrowed as he came close to the party, "He is growing more powerful, but that is not the Aura Surge. I believe he is not capable of it. He merely thinks that he is."
Dalton did indeed power up. His skin turned crimson and his hair became black. He did a flex, "Ah, what power!" He boasted.
Marle and Lucca tried hard to hold back their laughter. Crono raised his brow in confusion, "Did you literally make yourself look like a stereotype of a devil?" Crono asked bluntly.
"I am both! I am the Devil and a God!" Dalton continued. "Here, I shall show you by 'Raining Destruction from the Heavens'!"
Dalton blasted the party with a rain of destructive beams of energy. This very attack leveled buildings in the original future and was the cause for their ruination.
Crono and his party pulled themselves up and Crono laughed in between heavy breaths, "Heh, you think you can beat us with that fake Aura Surge? It's as false as your Godhood!" Crono mocked.
Dalton's mental state was quickly breaking down. "That, that should have ended you! What gives?! What is this?!"
Marle healed the party and they began to pummel him with their weapons. Dalton countered with Lavos Needles, Tremors, and a Chaotic Zone spell. After a few bouts with this, Dalton lost his red power up and returned to his previous state. He was battered and bruised but still far from defeated. "This cannot be! I..., I need more time! I NEED MORE TIME!" He panicked. "Get out of here!" He continued as he tried to cast Crono's party back into the Darkness Beyond Time. However, Lucca's Gate Keys prevented it but it allowed them instead to switch people.
"Sorry, Dalton, you won't be getting rid of us this time!" Lucca taunted. "Get ready for round 2!"
Indeed, Crono swapped with Glenn, Marle with Ayla, and Lucca with Robo. Janus, however, stayed as he cast off Dalton's grip with raw magical power and a flick of his cape. "No, not yet," Janus mused to himself.
Glenn held out his blade, "So this is the abominable form you have taken? Sold your soul to the devil for his power, have you? Such a foolish trade!"
Robo analyzed him, "Your power has not increased as much as predicted! You are underperforming!"
"Where bad man legs go?" Ayla asked curiously.
"...," Janus mused quietly as he turned to Ayla.
Dalton began to shiver in fear, "No, you shall not end me! I am not even done yet! Do you fools realize what you are even trying to kill?!"
"Yes, we are fully aware!" Glenn said as he leaped into the fight. Glenn struck Dalton with his Shield Bash crushing his nose and knocking out a few of his perfectly set teeth. Ayla came from above Glenn to land a powerful Triple Kick and Robo followed Ayla with his Rapid-Fire Fist to Dalton's solar plexus. Janus stood back to catch his breath with a Magic Wall.
Dalton attacked the party with more Energy Spheres and his copied spells. However, Dalton was unable to beat the party down as both Glenn and Robo could keep everyone protected and healthy. Dalton vomited blood and truly felt the pain being delivered to him. "You maggots! Get out of my sight! You too, 'Prophet'!" He said mocking Janus.
This time all four party members were swapped out. The party was now consisting of Ty, Tomo, Garet, and Lex. "Hey, jackass! Remember us?!" Ty said as he flipped one of his daggers.
Tomo came to his side and stuck her tongue out at him, "Yeah, we're the two explorers that found the Flame for ya!"
"You two are still around?!" Dalton said with surprise. "You did not just steal something and piss off somewhere?" He mocked.
"Nah, I'm no thief, just a treasure hunter! Sorry to disappoint!" Ty said with a smile.
Garet stepped forward, "I will get my revenge for what your Daltonites did to me."
"I thank you for the gift of magic, but that gift will be your undoing!" Lex said as he held out his sword.
"Who... are you two again?" Dalton asked in confusion.
The party was stunned for a second but brushed it off, "Never mind that, get him!" Ty said with a war cry.
Dalton attacked as he called on another spell, "I was saving this one for a guy like you! With my Gale Force, no tree will stand!"
The spell pushed back the party but did little else, "Really, buddy? You couldn't even think of your own spell? And you called me a thief?" Ty said as he shook his head.
"To hell with you! With this Tremor Chasm I will force you all to kneel before me!" said Dalton pridefully.
The party shook but still managed to hold their ground so to speak. Dalton grew anxious. Tomo was angry, "He stole mine too? You really are a bastard! Ty let's skin this guy with a Sand Storm!"
"I think that's a fine idea!" Ty agreed.
The two combined their magic and the Sand Storm buffeted Dalton but seemed to do nothing at all to the Lavos Spawn he was attached to. "You miserable bilge rats!" cursed Dalton.
"Hey, haven't heard that one in a while!" Ty mocked.
Lex and Garet took no part in the mockery and began casting their Double Technique. "Steam Dragon!" They shouted.
Dalton's skin was scalded by the hot steam and he shouted in pain. Dalton performed a curative spell and restored some of his wounds but far from all of them. He was seething, "There's no way you people could have gotten this powerful! It is inconceivable!"
"Nope, we just had the right motivation!" Ty said with a grin.
"How is this for motivation!" Dalton shouted furiously.
The party bounced back and forth hitting Dalton with powerful attacks and keeping him frustrated while they healed in concealing fog. Dalton finally broke and began a series of screams. He tried sending the party outside the flow of time, but this still did not work. Instead, almost like a roulette, the four members shifted in and out with other party members randomly in a shuffling pattern. "Why will you people simply not go away?!" Dalton said breaking down.
Dalton shouted and screamed as he completely broke down mentally until, finally, the shuffle ended with the same party that began the fight. Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Janus stood before him still ready to continue fighting. However, this fight would not continue as Dalton began to show sickness in his gut. "No..., no..., NooOoOooo! Buuuuurp!" He belched as a dark, shrouding gas erupted from his mouth.
When the gas cleared and Crono's party shook it off, Dalton had been disconnected from Lavos. He kneeled before the party in nothing but a loincloth. His body was as thin as a sufferer of anorexia. He crawled back to the Lavos Spawn, "No, what are you doing, why have you rejected me?"
Lavos gave no response, but Crono did, "It's over Dalton! Time for you to pay for crimes!"
Dalton faced them, "You cretins, do you have any idea-!" He said as he was cut off by an arrow to his heart.
Marle walked up to him, "I said I would put an arrow in your heart. That was for cutting my dad's head off. Now, please die."
Dalton spat up blood, but he seemed to refuse death, "That is not enough...!" He said as Janus stood above him, taking Marle's place.
"No, this is as far as you go. You and I have long outlived our welcome outside Zeal. It is time for you to go...," Janus said as he gripped Dalton in shadow. "...Death...," Janus whispered.
As if to give one final act of defiance, Dalton died in silence instead of screaming as Janus said. Dalton hit the ground like a straw doll, dead. Lavos then began to stir and the party stepped back to ready themselves. Lavos hit Dalton's body with a beam of light from its triple-flapped mandibles and Dalton's body was broken down and absorbed.
"So it was true, Dalton was never in control," Janus said relaxing a little.
"Watch out, the Lavos Spawn is doing something!" Crono warned.
The Lavos Spawn began to crack open and change. Its shell burned away in white hot flames as it unleashed a powerful beam of light that seemed to go on forever into the 'sky'. With a huge surge of energy, Lavos transformed and took a new form.
This new form was a little different from the previous core form it had before. It was short and stubby. It had two short legs and two stubby arms. It had a large tomato-shaped head with two massive, bulging, goggle eyes and a small flap for a mouth. Finally, it was adorned with alien-like jewelry, a crown-like fixture on the head, and ornate armor. It floated slightly off the ground and surrounded itself with three pods.
"It looks like a clay figurine," Lucca stated.
"Or a little man from space!" Marle added.
"It probably resembles a lot of things depending on who you ask!" Crono chuckled.
"It is simply ugly...," Janus said flatly.
Lavos began to speak in a low unintelligible language and dance around as if performing a prehistoric ritual. The pocket dimension they were all in began to warp and bend as environment and architecture from prehistory were puncturing the dimension. The said architecture then began to flow through the pocket like it was in a river.
"Okay, Lavos, time to end this!" Crono said as his friends drew close.
"It has three pods with it this time! We have to assume it will try to copy our technique combinations!" Lucca warned.
"It won't matter, pods aren't replacements for real friends!" Marle said confidently.
"Then let us combine all four of our elemental techniques and show this vile creature how it is done," Janus advised.
Crono threw his hands up and his friends began to chant and pray. Janus stood in front with his hand signs as the three levitated behind him. With one more utterance and an outstretching of his index finger, Janus spoke the spell, "Delta Impact!"
A massive beam of white light came down upon Lavos and smashed into the ground. The beam of light changed colors and geometric shapes as it smashed Lavos four times. Lavos rose easily but it clearly took damage.
Lucca watched Lavos closely, "The center body took the most damage! The left pod was immune to fire damage, the left was immune to water, and the pod over his head was immune to light!" She discerned.
"Good everyone take a pod that was not immune to your element!" Crono commanded.
Lavos now went on the offensive as the party began pelting the strange beast with physical attacks. The main body put up a shield that completely negated physical damage and its little dance turned into a physical assault on Crono who was then juggled by the parasite until he was allowed to hit the ground with a face-plant. He got to his feet but was undaunted. Then Lavos spoke nonsense with moans and strange sounds as it teleported a large Grand Stone in and held it above his pods with telekinesis. Lavos tossed the stone and it hit the party hard. Luckily, the Grand Stone did not squash them underneath it. Marle responded, quickly restoring the party with her magic.
"What do we do? We can't hit it with physical attacks!" Marle asked as she tried to hit the main body with arrows. They only bounced off, however.
"Attack the pods! They weren't shielded!" Crono said strongly.
"This Lavos Spawn isn't hiding in a pod this time. This one is much too aggressive. That doll-like center is definitely the main body," Janus said with discernment.
After a few attacks on the pods, Lavos responded aggressively as the dimension distorted again. This time elements from the Ice Age flowed in and out and Lavos forced a change in the party as it did so. As the party looked around, they saw that Janus was now replaced with Ty. Ty quickly adapted as he got a good look at Lavos, "Hey, I dug one of those up once!"
"Ty, focus! Let's hit it with a quad!" Crono said, getting Ty back on track.
"Hey, I'm always focused!" Ty retorted as he began casting his wind magic.
The party followed Crono's lead and the spell created a nasty storm. Hot and cold air swirled around and created two massive tornadoes and lightning bolts danced in between them. "Now that's what I call, a 'Perfect Storm'!" Crono said proudly.
Lavos retaliated with a powerful move thanks to its pods joining in. The party was hit and pounded by a Red Meteor Shower that gave them terrible burns just from the splash damage. Marle healed the party again. Crono turned to Ty, "Hey, is there anything you can do about its shield?"
"I gotcha!" Ty said as he used his Bad Breath spell on the main body. The main body was unaffected by all the ailments that it should be suffering from but it did lose its shield and seemed to lose some resilience.
"Thanks, Lucca, give me a Nitro spell for my sword!" Crono lead.
"Sure thing!" Lucca shot back as she snapped her fingers.
The spell blessed Crono's sword and Crono dashed to Lavos. "Nitro Frenzy! He shouted as he struck Lavos and its pods with unpredictable strikes.
Lavos grew angry as it dance excitedly. It changed the field again and this time Antiquity took the place of the Ice Age. Once again, Lavos forced the party to swap places. Ty was left alone, but he was now with, Tomo, Lex, and Garet.
Tomo gave Lavos a funny look, "That's what it turned into?"
"Affirmative, but do not be fooled, it is very powerful," Garet informed.
"What a strange creature...," Lex mused to himself.
"Never mind that! Let's hit it with our Storm Dragon technique. Let's hurry before it does something!" Ty said urgently.
The party agreed and began casting their spells. Lex's Mist Dragon absorbed the other's magic and it became the terrifying Storm Dragon. The caricature attacked and Lavos felt the damage. All three of its pods popped like water balloons under the wind damage. Ty laughed triumphantly, "HA! Got your fake friends there, Lavos!" He said as he was instantly cut short by Lavos's reaction.
Lavos's pods instantly revived, "What the hell? They have a Previve function built in?"
Ty snapped out of it as Lavos began to attack. The newly revived pods moved in to support the main body. "Ty, watch out!" Tomo cried.
The field was filled with an Unholy Light but only Garet and Lex were able to take cover in time to resist the damage. Lex covered the field in his Healing Fog and as Lavos's wicked light faded, Lex's fog also began to lift. Tomo searched for Ty and found him on the ground, he stirred, "Ty, how did you survive that?!" She asked worriedly.
"The pods have a Previve spell buffing them, so I used my Knife Trick to steal it in exchange for poisoning it, ugh," Ty moaned. "Anyway, what's with your body?"
Tomo's skin shined like metal, "Yep, as we all trained in the Prison of Time I was able to find an advancement for my Stone Skin spell. Now it's Metal Skin! Nothing can hurt me now!"
Garet approached unnerved, "Careful, Lavos is switching the field again."
Indeed, Lavos switched eras to the Dawn of Guardia, and Ty and Tomo were switched out for Marle and Lucca. Lavos cast another series of spells. It raised its defenses with a magic nullifying shield that was opposite to its physical one and then cast a spell that conjured a reddish sickly mist. The mist was cold but it burned their skin and lungs. The party closed their eyes to prevent them from being afflicted.
The party coughed and hacked until Lucca responded, "You want to see a real combo between hot and cold? Here, Lavos, chew on this! Marle, Lex, make it cold, Garet, give me your hottest spell!"
The four all agreed and began to cast their spell. Superheated energy and cold energy swirled around like two dance partners until a confused Lavos felt them collide at the center underneath its feet. With a bright flash, the two forces collided and forced each other apart with a massive explosion, "Omega Antipode, it doesn't get any more intense than that!" Marle cheered as she hopped up and down. The Lavos pod that Ty stole the Previve from popped and did not return to life.
Lavos began to panic. It sought another change as the environment started flowing with elements from the Middle Ages. The party was shuffled as well. Now, it was Ty, Tomo, Ayla, and Robo.
Ayla giggled, "Lavos look like idol!"
Robo followed, "Hmm, perhaps a little of Dalton rubbed off on Lavos?"
Ty smirked, "Try that shuffle skill all you like Lavos, it won't matter who we're teamed up with!" He then immediately turned to the party in a hushed voice, "It doesn't matter right?"
"Not at all! We are all well equipped to handle Lavos!" Robo said politely. "Speaking of which, here it comes!"
Lavos attacked with lightning bolts and energy beams and the party dodged and tanked the attacks. It was evident that Lavos was now beginning to wear down. Ty smirked as he dodged a lightning bolt. He vanished as soon as Lavos's attention was elsewhere. He performed another Knife Trick on another pod but Lavos responded instantly. It grabbed Ty with its stretchy and malleable limb and began to mercilessly beat him to the ground. It threw him aside and then performed a spell. The image of a Blood Moon came from above and soaked the party in a burning red light.
Ty looked like a smoldering corpse but he revived thanks to his trickery. Robo used his Heal Beam and restored the party and they kept going. Lavos was beyond frustrated.
Robo came up with an attack, "Ayla, hop on my shoulders as I used my Laser Flash. You use Tail Spin. Ty, Tomo, please give us a Sand Storm!"
Ayla cheered as she hopped aboard Robo and Ty and Tomo agreed as they began a Sand Storm. Two dusty tornadoes were kicked up and they spun around. The granules of sand reflected Robo's lasers causing a strange effect. When it ended the other pod that had its Previve taken had popped and once again, did not return to life.
"What a Dust Bowl!" Tomo said astonished.
Lavos lumbered around damaged and weakened, it began to shift time again but before it did, Ty snuck up on the last pod. He struck it with his Knife Trick as he smiled at Lavos, "Bye...," He vanished.
The pocket dimension now reflected the Present and the party shifted to Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Glenn. Glenn held out his sword, "Your time has come, beast!"
Lavos's last pod showered the main body with a curative spell and it seemed to gain a second wind. It began desperately using Double Techs with this final pod. Crono's party was now growing exhausted due to the length of the battle. Glenn was still filled with vigor, "Crono, let us mix our greatest curative magic with your Holy Light and burn this blight from the planet!"
Lavos began a spell to stop them. It began to whisper diabolically and the party heard the mind-scraping whispers in their minds. The whispers spawned ailments such as poison, blindness, and dizziness. "This won't stop us, Lavos!" Crono shouted through his blindness.
The party began to mix their greatest curative spells with Crono's Holy Light. Cure Splash, Rebirth, and Purify all poured into the spell. "Now Lavos, feel Heaven's Judgement!" Crono shouted as Lavos was hit with ribbons of intense light. The party was restored completely and Lavos lost its final pod. Lavos responded by powering up.
"That didn't kill it?" Glenn asked confused.
"Now that its pods are gone it's trying to reach full power! We have to stop it!" Lucca warned.
Marle reached into her pocket and pulled out the Blue Gem, "What about a Summon?"
"That might do it!" Lucca said strongly. "Let's fill the field with water magic!
Crono and Lucca found some extra Seafangs in their belongings to use to cast minor water spells while Glenn merely cast one of his own. These minor spells bounced off Lavos as it began to power up and change. Lavos began to grow much bigger as its muscular system became engorged. It stood looming over the party as Marle stared it down. She called forth Leviathan, "Leviathan, wash this monster away with your Tsunami!"
Leviathan appeared above the party. The pale blue sea serpent with glowing sapphire eyes roared at Lavos as it brought forth a massive wave of ice-cold water into the pocket dimension. Lavos took considerable damage but its desperation forced it to mask it.
"How is this thing still going after all that?!" Crono said astonished.
Lavos began stamping around and smashing its now oversized fists into the ground in a childish tantrum. As it did this, the pocket dimension changed. It changed to 2012 and it shuffled the party again. This time Marle and Lucca were swapped for Janus and Robo, but Glenn and Crono stayed.
Lavos began to attack wildly with nothing but physical attacks as the party struggled to regroup. Crono noticed something as he picked himself up from the floor, "Uh, I don't think we have a quadruple between the four of us!" Crono said worriedly.
"Who cares just attack it. Here it comes again!" Janus said as he cast Dark Matter.
The Dark Matter stumbled Lavos and Crono, Glenn, and Robo used a Triple Attack. Lavos lost its left arm due to this attack and it flew into a rage. It began to warp the dimension again and this time it gained elements of 2305 A.D. The party was now, Crono, Robo, Marle, and Lucca. As the party regrouped Lavos went all out. Robo made an analysis, "Oh no, it's preparing its most powerful magic attack! Crono, let's use Holy Healing Beam!"
"Right!" Crono said as he and Robo restored the party and gave them shields.
Lavos had finished powering up and unleashed a powerful non-elemental spell, Dreamreaver, as it came to be known. The spell tore through the party and eliminated all their shields and buffs. Only Crono was left standing as the others struggled on the ground.
Crono began to glow and pulse with a golden light. In a flash, he erupted with a golden aura, "I WON'T LET YOU DESTROY MY WORLD!" Crono shouted at the top of his lungs.
Crono inspired his friends and they rose too, also with the glow of an aura. Marle erupted with her aura, "WE WORKED TOO HARD!"
Lucca came next with her aura, "WE CAN'T LET YOU WIN!"
Robo sparked as he was charged with energy, "FOR OUR FUTURE!"
Lavos backed off a little, showing fear. The party used their Aura Surge attacks one by one until only Crono was left. Crono leaped up into the air above Lavos, and with a mighty cry, he brought down his sword, "Sky-Splitting Sword!"
Lavos was split in two and its body began to disintegrate. As it did so, the pocket dimension began to destabilize. "We did! Lavos is dead!" Marle shouted victoriously.
"We're not outta the woods yet, Marle!" Lucca warned.
"The dimension is breaking up! We must escape!" Robo followed.
The party turned to Crono, who turned to them with a thumbs up, "You guys go on ahead! I'll be right with you!" He said as he jumped into a crack in the dimension.
"CRONO!" shouted the Party.
Crono appeared at the Tower of Apocalypse and began searching for his dad. "Come on, Dad, where are you?!"
He searched and searched as the tower crumbled beneath the distortion above. Finally, Crono saw his dad, passed out a slab of stone a few flights down. "Dad!" He shouted as he jumped down to him. Crono slung his dad over her shoulder as the distortion was now too close to escape from. Crono shut his eyes and shouted as he and his dad, and his friends were enveloped by Lavos's dimensional Gate, "AAARRGH!"
*End of Chapter*