Chrono Corruption

Act 6: Preparation

Chapter 37: The Last Days, Part I

*Guardia Castle*

Crono awoke the next day and the sunlight had already flooded the chamber. Marle was already awake and fully dressed. She approached Crono, "Finally awake, sleepyhead?" she asked cutely.

"Eh, yeah, sorry. I guess I slept in a little, huh?" Crono responded groggily.

"You needed it. You didn't sleep well last night," Marle said solemnly.

"The fight with dad was..., stressful," Crono said with a pause.

"I... I could imagine...," Marle said hoping to comfort him. "Anyway, everyone's waiting in the throne room. We are planning our next move."

"Good, let me get dressed, I'll be down in a few," Crono said with a stretch.

*Later, In the Throne Room*

Crono sat on his throne and yawned as he was surrounded by all of his friends. "Okay, so what's our next move?" Crono said, asking everyone's opinion.

Marle raised her hand like a schoolgirl, "Question! Why did your dad take off after he had an Aura Surge? Couldn't he just have killed you right then and there?"

Crono wore a solemn expression as he recalled his dad's face, "Well, it's because of what he told me... Before we fought."

"What's that?" Lucca pushed.

Crono took a deep breath, "He told me that Dalton was late on his transformation or rather, that Dalton was not a player in this anymore."

"...?" Janus mused as this statement caught his attention the most.

"My dad said that everyone we fought after Dalton fell asleep was lulled into Lavos's clutches by Dalton's voice. However, it was Lavos moving his mouth. He was trying to tell me that Lavos has devoured Dalton," Crono explained.

"Oh, so he's become a part of that monster then?" Glenn said with a rather grossed-out tone of voice.

"How disgusting...," Janus sighed.

"I think that Lavos was trying to replicate our Aura Surge in the 'disciples' we fought. When my dad did it, I think Lavos wanted him to retreat so he could draw him closer," Crono theorized.

"Oh, no...," Marle said quietly.

"As much as I want to pursue my dad, I don't think we're quite strong enough to handle the next encounter just yet," Crono mused as he placed his hands under his chin in thought. "My dad is corrupted by Lavos now and he wanted me to destroy him. I just can't do that until I know I've tried everything to free him!"

Ty smiled as he thought of something, "Hey Crono, does your sword still have some of your dad's blood on it?"

Crono blinked in wonder a few times before he unsheathed his blade to take a look. "Yeah, it does. Why do you ask?" Crono asked curiously.

"You said you want to try anything and everything to save your dad, right?" Ty began. He took a bit of cotton from his bag and cleaned Crono's blade with it, soaking the cotton in Caelus's blood. "I learned a few tricks while in Chronopolis. I might be able to make a blood serum that could shake Lavos's hold on him."

"Really?! That's wonderful!" Crono shouted ecstatically as he jumped from his throne.

"Calm down for a second," Ty said with warning. "I said I 'might' be able to. This is purely experimental. "The second thing I'm definitely going to need is that Life Sparkle bloom that came out of Quin when we killed her. It should have aged quite nicely by the Middle Ages."

"That's great and all, but Caelus sped off through time!" Tomo interjected. "We need to figure out where he went!"

"Tomo's right," Crono replied in agreement. "I think our first move should be returning to the End of Time. Maybe Gaspar knows where he went!"

With that, everyone agreed in their own way and they said their goodbyes to the castle's staff, leaving them in charge of the castle.

*End of Time*

The party returned to the End of Time sometime later and Gaspar greeted them as always, "Hmm, hello again," he said waking up. "I see you managed to retake your home. That's wonderful," he said with relief.

"We managed, although it took a lot out of us!" Crono said with an uneasy smile. "Anyway, Gaspar, I know you said that you can see lots of things from this place, and what with you being the Guru of Time and all, I was wondering if you happened to see where my dad went."

"I did, in fact," Gaspar replied. "Your dad returned to 3000 B.C. to the El Nido Archipelago."

"Question!" Ty said as he wavered his hand about. "How can he do that? The Central Regime wiped out Chronopolis, so there shouldn't be an archipelago there!"

"Indeed, there shouldn't be," Gaspar said in agreement. "But there is... I suspect it's the Flame's doing. It must have preserved its existence in time so it didn't need a past to remain there."

"...Naturally...," Ty sighed.

"I think it may be best to see things for yourself," Gaspar said as his expression pointed to the Neo Epoch. "When you do, be sure to return here, I have some information that may be of use to you."

"Thanks, Gaspar," Crono said gratefully.

As so, Crono took Marle, Lucca, and Robo with him in the Neo Epoch and without hesitation they sped off.

*3000 B.C.*

The Neo Epoch appeared over the seas of El Nido and Crono could see the mainland come into view. The island looked like it was in complete turmoil even from up above. Daltonopolis was filled with people panicking in the streets. "What's going on down there?!" Marle asked with a shriek.

"An earthquake! Caelus must have done something with the Flame's power!" Robo deduced.

"It looks like a storm is brewing too! Look at all these dark clouds!" Lucca pointed out.

Crono was careful to avoid the incoming storm as they viewed the city get struck by several lightning bolts of immeasurable strength. The storm quickly grew in strength as the ground and mountains began to split apart.

"The island's breaking apart!" Crono shouted as he piloted the Neo Epoch away from the storm. Then something began to rise from the center of the city of Daltonopolis. It was a familiar structure. "Is that?! The Temple of the Red Star?!" Lucca asked in astonishment.

"Warning, the Frozen Flame is pulling structures from their resting places in different eras! Past, Present, and Future are conglomerating into one massive structure!" Robo deduced.

"Crono, let's get out of here! The storm will tear us apart!" Lucca shouted.

"You got it! It looks like my dad is trying to conceal this place until Lavos awakens!" Crono claimed.

After all, was said and done, the island was consumed by a dome-shaped storm that prevented anyone from entering. The Neo Epoch skated across the surface of the unnatural storm with the party blinded as to what else might be happening. "So how do we get past this?" Marle asked in confusion.

"Well, now we know why Gaspar asked us to come back. Hold on!" Crono replied as he sent the Neo Epoch back to the End of Time.

*End of Time*

The party confronted Gaspar as soon as they returned, "You were right, Gaspar! There is definitely something funny going on in that era!" Crono said in surprise.

"So it would seem," Gaspar replied. "Lavos is not yet ready to rise."

"What about my dad? Can you, you know, sense him anywhere?" Crono asked hopefully.

"Yes, your dad still lives. I can see his bright light hidden beneath that storm. Lavos has not yet consumed him," Gaspar said with a warm smile.

"Thank goodness!" Crono sighed with relief.

"I think you should all take this time to prepare yourselves," Gaspar started. "There are still things that are left undone that can aid you and give you strength."

"What do you see?" Lucca asked curiously.

Gaspar took a deep breath and then spoke after he exhaled, "I see a village in the distant past, ransacked by a forgotten tribe. They worship a Dragon god of water with human sacrifice. In the age of ice and snow a Dragon god of fire torments a tribe of snowmen. In Antiquity, there exist restless spirits among the rubble of the doomed kingdom, a dark Dragon god roams the land in search of tribute, and a lonely heart seeks companionship. In the Dawn of a Kingdom, a sanctuary belonging to a forgotten tribe houses a holy fountain and a roost for a Dragon god of light. In the Middle Ages, the forgotten tribe has taken a flower that blooms only in the harshest of environments as an offering for the Dragon god of wind. In the Present, a beloved King must be laid to rest and an expedition is being carried out to find the Dragon god of earth that guards a hidden practice, long forgotten. In the far-off future, a Dragonian Princess awaits her God atop a great tower that observes the heavens. In the depths of the Prison of Time, powerful trials await those brave enough to confront them," he finished as he sighed heavily.

"Okay, so where do we start first?" Crono asked as he faced his group of friends and family.

Tomo raised her hand, "Why don't we just start with the Present day Dragon of Earth? Gaspar said an expedition is taking place! That can only mean that the Explorer Corps are searching Mt. Denadoro! Anyway, I haven't seen my dad in a while... he must be worried sick about me," she said worriedly.

Crono smiled, "Anyone else?"

No one seemed to interject but Marle came forward as she placed her hand on his arm, "Sweetie, you don't have to lead each and every one of these parties. You have been going full speed for a while now. You're free to take a little break and rest too you know," Male said in a comforting voice.

Crono relaxed a little and smiled. He showed some reluctance but gave in to his wife's suggestion, "All right, well, who wants to take a crack at this Dragon god of Earth?"

Ty and Tomo stepped forward, "If the Explorer Corps are after it, then we have to go to them," Ty claimed.

"Yea, that's my family business so I'm sure my dad will need help if he and the others happen to find that Dragon god," Tomo followed.

"All right, who are you going to take with you?" Crono asked.

Ty looked the party over, "How about Lex and Garet? You guys up for a Dragon hunt?"

"This sounds like a fun challenge!" Lex claimed as he tightened his glove.

"Yes, the elimination of the Dragon gods is now our top priority," Garet replied flatly.

"Then it's settled! To the Present!" Ty said humorously. Everyone cheered in their own way in agreement.

*Present, 1005 A.D.*

Ty landed the ship just outside the base of the Denadoro Mountains. The party leaped out and grouped up. Lex was astonished at the mountain, "Incredible! In my time this mountain was only a range of rocky hills and pine trees!" he admired.

"Amazing what a thousand years will do, huh?" Ty said with a chuckle.

"My dad's party should be here investigating the place! Let's find them and see if they know anything about the Demi-Humans and the Earth Dragon!" Tomo urged excitedly.

"Let us hope there is no Demi-Human tribesman that will stand in our way," Garet added.

"Yeah, I would hate to cause any more unnecessary bloodshed," Ty finished.

With that, the party began making their way up the mountain path. It didn't take long for them to end up in a small camp where the Explorer Corps members were stationed. As Ty and Tomo came onto the scene, Biggs, Wedge, and Piette noticed them with a double take in surprise. "Hey, is that you, Mister Drayguard?!" Biggs shouted as he waved his hand strongly.

"...And, is that, Miss Tomo?!" Wedge asked his brothers as he noticed Tomo was much wider than he remembered.

Ty looked over at the triplets and waved with a smile as he began heading over to them. The three brother's commotion got the attention of everyone including Toma. Posh emerged from her lavish tent upon hearing Ty's name and her brother, Gosh did the same.

As everyone gathered around, their expressions were one of shock and awe, not only did Ty and Tomo look different they had brought two mysterious strangers with them. None were more surprised than the Llords siblings and Toma himself. "Hey guys, sorry we've been gone for so long but we need to talk!" Ty said with a smile.

"I should say so, what's going on?!" Toma asked in astonishment. "What happened to my daughter?! And who are these two you brought with you?!"

Posh began to laugh hysterically at the sight of fat Tomo, "Oh my! It would seem your waistline has caught up with your ferocious eating habits! Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!"

"Tomo what has happened to you?" Toma asked worriedly.

Tomo blinked a few times in confusion, then it hit her, "Oh, crap! I totally forgot!"

Ty laughed, "Ha! We got so used to you using your fat self that we forgot to hide it again!"

Gosh broke out into a poetic banter, "Ohhhh, Tomo my sweet! You look so GRAND!" he said with a blushing face.

Toma sighed as Posh freaked out a little, "Are you serious, look at how fat she is!" Posh said condescendingly. "Ah well, it doesn't matter! She surely has no chance with Mister Drayguard now!"

"Eh? Now, why would you say that?" Tomo said with a smile. "Tell 'em, Ty."

"About what? Her weight? That doesn't bother me at all," Ty said flatly.

Posh seemed confused, but she quickly recovered with a new train of thought, "Well, that is..., very sweet of you, Ty. I knew something as trivial as a little baby fat would not offend someone as mature as you! Speaking of which...!" she said as she closely inspected Ty from different angels. "You seem so much more mature than when I saw you last! It gets a girl's heart going, you know!" she finished with a blush.

Gosh was still prancing dramatically as Toma took over the conversation, "Would someone explain to me how this happened?"

"Yeah, I can dad," Tomo said as she twiddled her thumbs. "This body is, how I always looked I was just able to hide it from all of you."

"How?" Toma pried further.

"Well, Ty and I can use Magic. With our little artifacts, we learned to cast magic so we've been training!" Tomo smiled as she pointed out her hourglass and Ty's key.

"Ah, well that explains a lot," Toma said with some relief. "...But is that what you've been doing this entire time? You've been gone for weeks! You two had us worried sick! We thought you were killed during Porre's invasion!"

"Eh, it's a long story Toma but no, we're okay, we managed to escape that debacle when we helped the King and Queen to safety," Ty said as a matter of fact.

Posh blushed deeply as she cooed with delight, "Ah, not only can Mister Drayguard use the whimsy that is magic but he is also a hero! How wonderful!"

Gosh chimed in, "Tomo, my vision of loveliness! Magic certainly suits someone such as you!" He then suddenly turned to Ty as he pretended to clear his throat, "Drayguard I'll give you credit where it is due. You certainly seemed to have come a long way in such a short time but I'll not allow you to steal Tomo from me!"

Ty paused with a smirk, "...She kissed me..."

Both Llords siblings instantly deflated and Toma grew intense real quick. Tomo gave him a glare then turned to her dad, "It was a happy kiss...! No! I mean I was really happy to see him because I thought he died when he turned into a zombie and started hurting everyone so I had to stop him before he poisoned all of us!" Tomo said running her mouth while flailing her arms.

Everyone blinked in disbelief, "A zombie...? Okay you two, what the hell have you been doing all this time?! Toma asked, growing more intense.

"Looks like we better explain this as best we can, Tomo," Ty sighed.

"Oh, why did you have to tell them about the kiss!" Tomo said with her face as bright as a tomato.

"Because I'm not ashamed of it... I'm glad I meant that much to you...," Ty said with a blush and a sheepish tone to his voice.

Tomo retained her blush as she was unable to wipe the smile from her face. Posh and Gosh were livid, "We do not accept this! Explain yourselves!"

"Yes, please do!" said Toma sternly.

*Later, Over a Hearty Meal*

And so, Ty and Tomo had revealed their journey thus far. Many of the workers were in disbelief but Garet's technology and Lex's knowledge of history proved it for them. "So you see, this Earth Dragon we're looking for only exists because of our actions," Tomo claimed.

Toma took a deep breath as he took in the information, "So, let me get this straight. The Frozen Flame in actuality is a piece of an extraterrestrial parasite that was being used as a sort of conduit for the thing? And since you two found it you've been chasing the people who've been corrupted by its influence and trying to stop them from essentially destroying the world? And this Earth Dragon is a byproduct produced by one of these corrupted individuals?"

"Yep, pretty wild isn't it? I don't try to think that hard about it, but hey, it's not like I've had the time to do so," Ty said with a shrug.

"I know it's really out of this world dad, but it's the truth," Tomo said seriously. "And we need to find that Earth Dragon as soon as possible. Once this is over, I'll be sure to explain everything to everyone as soon as I can."

"Well, you're in luck. We've been here for several days at least and I believe we have isolated the dragon's location," Toma began. "And it looks like Demi-Humans commandeered the old mines at some point. It has to be them because the artifacts left behind are certainly not from traditional human tribes. Writings on the walls of the mines also give clues to a Demi-Human occupation."

"...You speak as though the Demi-Humans have departed," Lex began after a thought. "Are they not here anymore?"

"Seems that way, from the clues we managed to gather, I believe the tribe either died out or migrated elsewhere," Toma explained.

"Any clues as to where they went?" Garet asked stoically.

Toma merely shook his head.

"Well, this has been a good talk but we have a dragon to kill, so are there any clues as to where it's hiding?" Ty asked, hoping to get back at the task at hand.

"As I said, we have searched these old mines quite thoroughly and have isolated a room where it could possibly be," Toma explained.

"Care to escort us to this room?" Ty asked with a smile.

Toma got to his feet, "I suppose, but Tomo, you be careful, you hear?" he said with a slight pause. "And that goes for you too, Ty, and the rest of you."

"We'll be fine dad, we've come this far, we won't be stopped by a few lizards," Tomo said strongly.

*Denadoro Caverns*

Toma and his crew led Ty and the others into the mountains but instead of going up, they followed a small river that led to the mouth of a cave. It was surrounded by flora, small cliffs, and ridges above it that hid it well. The party entered the cave and Toma led the party down the winding paths that were lit by torches. Eventually, they came to some rope ladders that led down deeper. Biggs, Wedge, and Piette stayed here and did not go deeper so they could keep watch and stand guard at the ladders. "Stay safe and be careful, these mines are vast!" said Biggs as he and his brothers stayed behind.

The party gazed out into a massive nearly empty cavern that was lit by many torches and littered with strange wooden structures and scaffolding. "Wow, this is certainly a sight!" Ty said with a whistle.

"Was this all mined out?" Tomo asked no one in particular.

"It appears so," Garet responded.

"This cave must be where Lady Irma found Denadorite," Lex said with awe. "She really did take all of it..."

The party regrouped and began scaling the mining structures. Ghosts and Shadow spirits made themselves known. "Yikes, not again!" Posh yelped as she backed up with her brother and Toma.

"My wind magic doesn't work too well against ghosts but that's okay!" Ty said confidently.

"We got some new spells to use anyway!" Tomo said backing him up.

Garet took the initiative, "Field Control!" he announced as magical waves of yellow energy flooded the mines. "With this spell, I can fill the battlefield with an abundance of one element of magic so any that are used after will be augmented. It will stay this way for a while even if other types of magic are used. Go ahead., try an Earth spell."

Just then, a Shadow spirit coiled up Tomo's leg, "Eek!" She shrieked as it and a few more began trying to join in as she tried to pull back.

"Tomo, use your Quicksand spell!" Lex urged. "I will combine it with my Water Prison!"

"Okay!" She replied. Tomo cast the Quicksand spell and it drew the surrounding spirits into it as Lex followed. The quicksand became muddy and it swirled and churned as the spirits were confined within. When it ended the ghosts were nowhere to be found but more of them quickly took their spot. "Neato, a Muddy Prison for sludgy ghosts!" Tomo cheered.

"Garet was right, that spell was way stronger!" Ty confirmed.

"We got more takers! Hey Garet, care to lend me a fire tech?" Ty asked.

"Affirmative," Garet agreed as he cast his Flame Tower. The tower erupted from the darkness and then began turning into a very dense and compact twister with Ty's Wind Spiral added in.

The Ghosts had vanished for the time being, "Woo! Want stronger flames? Just add oxygen! Turns that Flame Tower into a Torch Tower!" Ty said with a cheer.

Posh came running up to Ty, "That was incredible, Mister Drayguard! You have attained such power!"

Gosh did the same but to Tomo, "Tomo your magic certainly suits you in every way!"

Toma pushed the two aside, "Alright you two, that's enough gushing! Let's keep moving, we're almost there!"

The party continued and eventually came to some old minecart tracks, but the carts were nothing but dust and rust. They continued down the spooky path and more ghosts and shadows popped up. Garet instinctively raised his machine gun and Tomo reacted, "Wait a sec, she said as she touched his machine gun with a glow on her hands. "Now try it!" she said with a smile as Garet's gun glowed. He began shooting the apparitions and they became petrified as soon as they were struck. Like a thin sheet of paper, the petrified spirits hit the floor and turned into a cloud of fine dust that would make spooky faces at them as they vanished. Garet liked the result, "Hmm, Pebble Pellets, petrify targets. Thank you, Tomo."

Tomo responded with a smile and a chuckle.

The party eventually came to the end of the tunnel and found themselves in a cavern filled with sand boils that would erupt occasionally. Large bug-like creatures slowly roamed the area but they seemed docile. "Ah, Rockroaches, these things are heavy but they love the grittiness of the sand," Toma explained.

Toma was correct, the creatures loved to sit near the sand boils as they were showered with warm sand and some water as they rested near them. Posh pointed out a small ledge that had a cave mouth they could not reach, "There, that cave is one where the dragon must be! There are Demi-Human cave paintings all over the place!" She said confidently.

"Still, the problem remains of it being out of reach!" Gosh said.

Tomo scanned the area and watched the Rockroaches as they moved around slowly, "Wait, can we move these Rockroaches at all?" She asked curiously.

"Maybe, but be warned, they are heavy, why?" Toma replied.

"If we plug some of these sand boils maybe we can concentrate the flow into one boil, making it stronger!" Tomo began. "Then we can place something over it and jump up there!"

Ty looked around at some of the old wooden equipment, "You mean like this?" He said as he took a large panel and began moving it. Garet and Lex helped him place the panel nearby the boil.

"Now we just plug the other holes and wait for our chance!" Tomo claimed.

Tomo and her dad went up to the Rockroaches and used their superhuman strength to move each creature over a boil. They did not seem to mind at all. Tomo was proven right as the only open sand boil spewed a much higher geyser into the air. "Okay, get ready!" Ty said as the geyser ended. The party moved the panel over the boil and Tomo transformed into her fit form to reduce the weight needed to move the party upward.

With a loud rumble, the sand boil erupted and the party was thrown up to the ledge even if was a little haphazardly. Toma cheered, "Great going, sweetie, now go get that dragon!"

Posh and Gosh gave their unintelligible cheers as they talked over one another. The party entered the cave and it was filled to the brim with gems and geode crystals. At the center, a large boulder sat strangely in a sand pit. Treasure of human and non-human designs lined the walls of the circular room, sitting in large piles.

"That's not a boulder, is it?" Ty asked rhetorically.

Then a feminine voice echoed in the room, "Welcome, humans, I sense you are here for me?"

"Who said that?!" Tomo asked as she looked around frantically.

Then, the boulder uncurled itself and it became a massive armored dinosaur that was covered in spikes and scales made of stone and gems. She spoke with glaring red eyes, "You've come for my life haven't you? The Prophetess had informed us dragons that each of us would be visited by a particular group of humans. That is you I presume?" She asked.

Ty unsheathed his daggers, "You bet! We know of your Prophetess. Zelah, I believe her name was? She talked about Dragonians and whatnot?"

"Yes, the Dragonians! They were meant to be our children! But they went extinct before they could even live! Yet you humans and these miserable Demi-Humans walk the planet, treading on lands that should have been ours!" said the Earth Dragon with fury.

"What did you do to the Demi-Humans that lived here?" Tomo asked strongly.

"A Demi-Human is still a Human to us even if they are lesser! It is an insult to be worshiped by such lowly creatures! The Demi-Humans offered treasures from many lands, hoping to receive some kind of blessing from me. Their treasures only stunk of human hands though and the ignorance of the Demi-Humans made me sick, so I chased them out of here years ago! I went to sleep and have been here until your kind arrived to dig out my caves!" explained the Earth Dragon.

"That's so cruel! It's not their fault they're ignorant of what you are or came from!" Tomo said, standing up for them.

"Enough! Confront my fury, humans!" roared the Earth Dragon.

Ty and Tomo rushed the Earth Dragon, each taking a side. Ty swiped at its left flank while Tomo bashed it with her hammer on its right. The Dragon proved to be just as hard as one would expect an Earth Dragon to be as the attacks seem to bounce right off.

The creature stomped its front feet and the duo was knocked down. Ty narrowly avoided a swipe from the mace-like tail as he rolled to the side. Garet and Lex tried their weapons but the Dragon was only annoyed as Lex's sword and Garet's bullet's bounced off its ridiculously tough hide.

"What a tough cookie! Tomo let's soften it up a little! Lend me your Natural Gas spell!" Ty urged.

"Okay!" Tomo agreed as she cast her spell on Ty. Ty breathed his Bad Breath on the Dragon and the gases mixed together on his breath making an even more noxious Miasma. The Dragon only received a case of poisoning, however.

"Ouch, I was expecting a lot more ailments! This lizard's a healthy one!" Ty said with a little disappointment.

"Aww, that 'Miasma' was a good combo too!" Tomo whined.

Lex then breathed deeply as he glowed with a blue aura, "Let me try this! My most powerful spell! Mist Dragon!" Lex shouted as his cold mist flooded the room and quickly took the form of a dragon with a long neck and wings.

"You dare to mock me, human?!" roared the Earth Dragon.

Lex's spell breathed a heavy cold mist onto the Earth Dragon and the sand beneath it hardened. This caused the Earth Dragon to slow down and become more vulnerable.

"Garet give me a 'light'!" Tomo shouted as she cast her Natural Gas spell.

"Yes," He replied flatly.

Natural Gas filled the field from cracks in the ground and Garet used his Over Heat spell to ignite them and turn them into a sea of torches. The Earth Dragon roared as its body was badly burned. Once the spell ended it came from the smoke with a furious lunge toward Tomo.

"Surprise!" shouted Ty and Lex simultaneously as each came out of a Ghostly Strike and Mist Strike for a quick follow-up. They critically struck the beast and it lumbered back with small droplets of blood hitting the sandy floor.

The Earth Dragon shook its head and flailed about blindly. The party took the time to attack the ancient beast with their weapons but this proved to still have little effect as the Earth Dragon quickly regained its senses and shook the ground with another stomp. The party was jettisoned away from her as she stood stalwartly breathing heavily out her nostrils. "Impressive effort, humans! Be that as it may, you will need to do far better than that!" taunted the Earth Dragon loudly.

"I'll take that challenge!" Tomo said as she braced herself. "My newest and most powerful magic spell! Diamond Wall!" she gleamed with a strong pose. Tomo let out a strong shout as the ground beneath her feet became overgrown with small crystals.

The Earth Dragon merely smiled as Tomo's Diamond Wall emerged from the ground as massive crystalline spikes impaled the Dragon's hide. However, something strange began to occur. The Dragon glowed softly with a warm yellow light as Tomo's spell melted into its body. The Earth Dragon restored a large chunk of the damage it had taken and proudly held its head above her as she gazed in awe, "W-what?! Oh, no! It absorbs Earth Magic!" Tomo shouted in despair.

"Hold on, Tomo, let me undo that with my own spell!" Ty said strongly. He raised his hands into the air and breathed deeply as his mouth seemed to create a vacuum that allowed him to inhale an inhuman amount of air. Ty then crouched down and pulled his arms into his sides with his closed fists turned up. His body glowed and his muscle mass increased as he held his breath. Small spirals of green wind magic danced around his body as he did this.

The Earth Dragon picked up on what was happening to Ty. "No! You shall not strike me with that!" she bellowed. She turned around and slapped Ty on the head with her cudgel-like tail. Blood poured from his head as he retained his stance and control over his spell.

"Guys, we need to provide a distraction!" Tomo shouted. The party began assaulting the Earth Dragon with strong attacks that merely bounced off of her. She took every brief moment to slap Ty again as she batted away one of the others.

"This approach is not working," Garet said growing weary.

"I know! Why do we not combine the skills of the three of us instead of just two?!" Lex said strongly.

"Good thinking, Lex!" Tomo said inspired. "What do we use?!"

Garet thought for a brief moment, then formulated a plan, "I know. I will use my own strongest spell, Inferno. Lex summon your Mist Dragon, and Tomo, fill it with Natural Gas."

"That's a great idea!" Tomo said with a confident smile.

The Earth Dragon was confused as it moved its glare back and forth between Ty and the three humans with an obviously dangerous scheme. She ultimately chose to lunge after Ty, "Off comes your head first!" She roared.

"Wrong move!" Tomo said as Lex and Garet placed great strain on themselves. Lex's dragon was summoned from a cloud of mist that began to turn yellow from the Natural Gas that was merging with it. Garet's skin grew reddish as sweat poured from his brow. Lex sent the Mist Dragon in and it howled like the wind as it lunged for the now-shocked, Earth Dragon. It bit down on her and Garet unleashed his Inferno spell, raising the temperature to an insane degree. The Mist Dragon ignited and exploded taking much of the Earth Dragon's armor with it.

"Gahhh! You miserable humans!" bellowed the Earth Dragon with fury. "I'll devour you all!" she said as she was interrupted by Ty.

"Vacuum Wave!" Ty shouted as he threw his arms into the air. A blast of air that felt like it was created from an exploding building crashed into the Earth Dragon, sending it hurtling into the cavern wall. Ty breathed heavily as he staggered around until he fell back on his rear with a dazed smile. "Wind Magic... is its... weakness...," He panted.

The party came running up to Ty to help him up, "Are you okay, Ty?!" Tomo said as she dusted him off.

Then suddenly, stones could be heard crumbling. Tomo shot her gaze to the source. The Earth Dragon crawled out of the rubble and it was beyond angry. Her eyes glowed yellow with a fierce hatred. "...Death to humankind...!" she said as blood poured from her mouth.

The Earth Dragon cast a spell. Tomo responded by transforming into stone to brace for the incoming attack. "EARTHQUAKE!" rumbled the Earth Dragon. The party was thrashed by severe shaking and churning of massive stones that pummeled them. She gave them no time to breathe, "UPHEAVAL!" She roared as a flower of stone spikes erupted from beneath Ty and sent him into the air. "SAND CYCLONE!" She continued without reprieve. Lex was sucked into a small maelstrom of sand that buffeted and battered him. "And now, the finale! THUNDASNAKE!" yelled the Earth Dragon at the peak of her lungs. Out of thin air and a puff of smoke, a massive earthen serpent emerged.

Tomo was astonished, "What is that?!"

"My mate...," replied the Earth Dragon. The Thundasnake hissed lowly as he opened his eyes. Yellow sparks began crawling across its long body like charges of electricity. The Thundasnake opened its cobra-like hood and the yellow energy erupted from the creature with a thunderous boom. The entire party was consumed and all save for Tomo were unconscious. Due to her body being stone, she hardly took any damage. The Earth Dragon scowled at Tomo with its broken jaw.

Tomo took the moment to give her friends Athenian Water to wake them while it recuperated from the barrage of magic it used. They stumbled wearily to their feet. "Are you guys alright?! Don't die on me I can't do this alone!" Tomo pleaded as she tried to fight back the urge to cry as she stood before Ty.

"You won't... do it alone... I promise...," Ty said with a cough.

Lex cast his Healing Fog spell and the party began to recover from their wounds, surprising the Earth Dragon. Garet used his Recharge spell following Lex and he came up with a plan. "Ty, can you use a Wind Storm?" Garet asked.

"Yeah, I should be able to," Ty replied.

"We'll use the 'Blast Dragon' again," Garet said as he shifted his gaze to Tomo and Lex. "But this time, Ty's Wind Magic will be a part of it. It will be a 'Storm Dragon'!"

"Right, let's bring this fight to an end!" Tomo said with renewed confidence.

The Healing Fog vanished and the Earth Dragon became afraid. The four party members gleamed with auras that matched their respective elemental affinities. Lex summoned his Mist Dragon and the Natural Gas that Tomo brought was twisted up by Ty's Wind Storm and the twisters were added to the Mist Dragon's body giving it a storm-like structure within. It then rushed the now panicking Earth Dragon and as it collided with her, Garet lit it up with his Inferno causing it to explode into a massive storm of raw magical power.

The Earth Dragon and the Thundasnake were now just chunks of their former selves laying across the cavern floor. With its dying breath, the Earth Dragon spoke one more time, "Well done, humans, enjoy your victory over me this day, for this too is Fate. We will make you regret this!" she hissed as her remains became magical dust. The dust rose gently into the air and vanished.

Tomo returned to her normal self and jumped joyfully. "Yeah, we beat her, we beat her!" she cheered excitedly. Her back creaked a little, "Ouch, damn that was hard though...!"

"Yeah, but for now, let's get back to the surface. Toma and the Explorer Corps can finish the rest," Ty said as he stumbled off with the rest of the party.

*Later that Evening*

"Damn! These big beasts just keep knocking me on my butt!" Ty said as he laid down on a log with an ice bag on his forehead. Tomo and Posh bantered over who should comfort him while Gosh tried to wrestle Tomo's attention away from Ty.

Toma came over to them with a sack of odds and ends from the Earth Dragon's room. "Good news! We've finished cleaning out the caves and now it's time to divide up the spoils!" He said with joy.

Everyone set their attention on Toma as he set the sack down and began going through it. "What do we do with all that other treasure, dad?" Tomo asked curiously.

"Hmm, I'm not sure but I was thinking we should keep the human-crafted things and donate them to Choras to better our country and, well, as for the Demi-Human treasures, hang on to them until we find a proper Demi-Human leader to give them to," Toma mused. "But for now, we found some neat things I think you guys should have!"

"What did you find?" Ty asked as he sat up.

"First is this Yellow Relic!" Toma said as he revealed a very large gemstone. The gem pulsated light like a heartbeat.

"Wow, that's a big piece of ice!" Ty said impressed.

"That looks important. It is not a typical gemstone," Garet said with a deduction.

"That's why I'm giving it to you," Toma said with a freaked-out tone in his voice.

Tomo claimed the gemstone and stored it safely away. Her dad then handed her a much smaller gem along with it. "This one seems different, but I feel like I can sense something about it," said Toma as he flipped it around with his fingers.

Then suddenly, Spekkio's disembodied voice came to them, "Hey, that's my big ol' buddy's summon gem! Golem is a massive summon that could really help in a tight spot! Just be sure to fill your immediate vicinity with a lot of Earth magic power or he can't come through!"

Posh's eyes darted back and forth, "W-who was that?!"

"Oh, that's just Spekkio, the Master of War, or so he calls himself anyway," Ty responded with a chuckle. "Don't mind him!"

Spekkio chimed in again, "...'Just Spekkio'...?! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oops, I keep forgetting we can call on him!" Tomo laughed.

"Should I give a rundown on how summons work again?" Spekkio sighed.

"No, that's okay, Spekkio, we remember!" Ty said reassuringly.

"Okay, just keep your surrounding's in mind in the future, would'ja!" Spekkio laughed.

"We will don't worry!" Tomo said as she laughed him off.

"Well, that was weird," Toma claimed as he shook his head. "Nevertheless, I found what looks like some of the Earth Dragon's scales and this!" He said as he pulled out an old scroll.

Tomo took the things and examined them, "Wait, this scroll contains...! The secret to forging Denadorium!" she said with a great big smile as she took the Smith Spirit's scroll out of her bag. She placed the Smith Spirit's scroll down on the ground and with a magical flame, a spirit that looked like a caricature of Melchior emerged with an entire set of blacksmithing gear even including the anvil and crucible.

The entity greeted her, "Welcome, how may I serve you today?" It asked cheerfully.

"Um, can you make this alloy?" Tomo asked as she showed the spirit the scroll.

"Yes, but I will need a stronger hammer first!" claimed the Spirit.

"Ah, already got you covered!" Tomo said as she gave the spirit Zappa's hammer.

"Do you have the materials to make some equipment?" asked the Spirit.

"Ah, we have a lot of stuff but I don't think we have any Denadorite on us though!" Tomo said with disappointment.

Gosh approached her, "Please, Tomo, allow me!" he said as he pulled several ores out of a rucksack nearby. He handed the dark ore to Tomo and she was ever so grateful which caused Gosh to blush. She handed over the Denadorite, the Mythril, and the Earth Dragon Scales and the Smith's Spirit went to work.

After some time passed, the tireless Smith Spirit forged Tomo an entire set of new gear. "Here you go, Miss, this gear is some powerful stuff! I am honored to have created it!" It said jovially.

Tomo took her newly forged, two-handed, Denadorium mace that was dark but glittery. It was heavy but balanced. The armor she received was a short jacket that had Denadorium chains interwoven into it with the Earth Dragon scales used as shoulder pads and buttons. Lastly, those same items made up her Knee and Elbow pads.

She jumped around, feeling strong, "Wow, I feel like I'm ready for anything! I'm gonna call this mace the 'Eveningstar'! Since it's dark but really glittery like the night sky!"

"You look magnificent, Tomo!" Gosh said with manly tears in admiration. "Surely no opponent dares to cross you now!"

"Cool, I want some stuff made from that!" Ty said with a big smile.

"Such impressive craftsmanship!" Lex said with admiration.

"It would appear to be much more powerful than your Truesilver Mallet," Garet surmised.

"Well, that's all the treasures we found down there. I mean, other than the copious amounts of gold and gems, but we'll take care of that!" Toma said reassuringly.

With that, the party made preparations to turn in for the night. The next morning, the morning sun bathed the camp sight as the Explorer Corps were already hard at work finishing their packing. Tomo stood before her dad as the others said their goodbyes, "Don't worry, dad! This will be over soon! I'll be back before you know it!" Tomo claimed strongly.

Toma touched his daughter's face, "You've grown into such a strong girl. It makes a dad proud. And just so you know, I approve of Ty, so watch his back would you?" He said with a wink.

Tomo merely blushed as she twiddled her fingers and then returned to her friends. "Okay, shall we get going? We have five more Dragon gods to take down!" Tomo urged.

The party cheered, and finally, they left Mt. Denadoro and returned to the Neo Epoch. With a flash in the morning sky, they were gone.

*End of Chapter*