Chrono Corruption

Act 6: Preparations

Chapter 40: The Last Days, Part IV

*End of Time*

As everyone haphazardly made their way back to the End of Time, conversations quickly broke out over who would take the Water Dragon. Ayla took point over anyone else, "Ayla lead team! Kill Water Dragon!" she said loudly with her hands strongly on her hips.

"Okay, it is your home era after all," Crono stated. "Who do you want to take with you?"

Ayla thought about it as she tilted her head to one side, "Ah, Ayla want Lucca, new friend Garet, and Robo!"

"All right then, good luck you guys!" Crono said encouragingly. "This is the last Dragon so let's not let up!"

"I think I'll drive the Neo Epoch, Ayla," Lucca stated with a chuckle.

And with that, they boarded the marvelous machine and took off to the earliest known time in history.

*Prehistory, Ioka Village*

The Neo Epoch arrived shortly after its departure as always. To the party, this was nothing more than a short hop, but in real-time, many eras had been traversed.

Lucca landed the Neo Epoch near Ioka Village and they entered a very frantic and distressed place. The people quickly noticed Ayla and they called for the elders to greet her. The head elder came to her in a panic, "Ayla! Big problem! Beast men kidnap children of village!"

Ayla instantly grew tense, "Where Ayla's children?!" She asked with a growl.

"They gone too! Kino try to defend but too many attack at once! Kino injured but alive! Not know where beast men go!" said the Elder, shaking in fear.

Ayla roared in anger as she beat the ground with her fists, "Ayla find beast men! Find children! But first, Ayla see husband!"

The party quickly pushed their way through the villagers and entered Ayla's hut. Kino was laid out on an animal skin that was spread out over some straw. His injuries were patched up with skins and leaves. Ayla went to him and lifted his head, "Kino! Ayla come back!" She said softly.

Kino stirred and opened his eyes. He smiled weakly, "Ayla. Save children. Beast men take. Run away to east. They have village hidden. Near ocean," Kino said weakly.

"Good, Ayla have strong friends! Ayla find beast men!" Ayla claimed as she gave her husband a healing Kiss. Kino relaxed as many of his wounds healed much more quickly. He was now able to rest easier.

"Ayla, we should be able to find them in the Neo Epoch," Robo said calmly.

"Good! We go now!" Ayla said with a clenched fist.

*Later*

As the Neo Epoch flew high above the young planet's only continent the party gazed and glared out the window intently for any sign of the traveling Demi-Humans they could find. However, nothing out of the ordinary could be seen. Robo spoke up, "Perhaps they have made it to their hidden village. It sounds like the kidnapping happened some time ago. Perhaps even after Ayla originally left for Chronopolis."

"That would have given them time to make some ground given this era has no other forms of transport outside walking," Garet claimed.

"Luckily, this is the era where all land was just one mass! So we just need to go east until we see a settlement!" Lucca said as she adjusted her glasses with a smile.

And they did so, with the Epoch's great speed, it took only moments for them to reach the eastern coastline. It was filled with winding rivers and thick lush foliage so it was difficult to spot anything or anyone.

Just then, Ayla jumped up and comically squashed Lucca under her as she looked out the window, "There, Beast men boat in river! Heading to ocean!"

"Impressive Ayla, you managed to see them before I did!" Robo praised. "Let us intercept. I see a shrine on the beach over there."

"There's a small clearing over there near the village, so we'll need to go the rest of the way on foot!" Lucca said as she went in for a landing.

The party snuck through the brush and came to a hidden village that housed the aforementioned Demi-Humans. A large effigy of a dragon with a long neck was erected at the center of the community. It was surrounded by flowerbeds and ponds with fish in them. The village itself was not unlike a Human one when it came to construction. Huts that could pass for human craftsmanship made up the village's living quarters and decorations included murals with strange depictions of what looked like Dreamstone on them.

"So, should we go in guns blazing or...?" Lucca began.

"No, just act natural," Robo said. "There don't seem to be any guards, so if we enter quietly and without hostility, we should be fine to learn more about them."

"Ayla look around!" Ayla said as she led the party into the village.

Needless to say, the Demi-Humans became spooked as Ayla's party was noticed. The majority of villagers retreated into their homes, while others kept their distance and cowered. Children, however, were less afraid and more astonished. Lucca attempted to keep up a friendly demeanor, as did Robo, but it did not seem to help very much.

"They seem unwilling to communicate," Garet claimed.

"Or..., can they? I don't think these primitive Demi-Humans can speak!" Lucca said observantly.

Robo attempted to read the mural at the center of the village that stood behind the dragon statue. "I believe these pictographs depict the Demi-Human's origin! How fascinating!" Robo said excitedly.

Lucca joined in, "There are no letters here either just pictures that go from right to left. It seems that, if I understand this correctly, the Dreamstone mineral is the cause for their sentience! Reptites, Humans, and Demi-Humans alike attribute our development to it! It looks like each species is behind each other by only a couple of centuries. Reptites came first with the discovery of Dreamstone, then Humans who used it in their crafts and tools, and now Demi-Humans, who don't know yet what to do with it."

"Ayla did say that the rare red rock was a sign of power when we first arrived in this era. Perhaps this is what she meant?" Robo claimed.

"I wonder what caused Dreamstone to vanish in the future," Lucca mused.

"Perhaps it's much more like a radioactive element. It probably went through a half-life of its own until it transformed into another element," Robo theorized.

"I didn't think about that, perhaps you're right on the nose with that one. I wonder what element it turned into though," Lucca asked rhetorically.

"They even have Lavos's fall documented as well!" Robo said as he continued.

"That's no surprise, Lavos's fall was kinda hard to miss," Lucca said in a cold sweat.

As Robo and Lucca chatted, Garet and Ayla attempted to interrogate a little Demi-Human boy about the Water Dragon. The boy tried to emote with his hands about the Dragon and Ayla seemed to understand more than Garet did. Ayla came to an understanding with the boy and looked up at Garet, "Beast men afraid of Water Dragon. They make blood sacrifice with children! They cheat though. Use other village's children."

"It would appear that's what he's trying to say," Garet followed. "I think the Demi-Humans resorted to kidnaping Human children to spare their own."

"Water Dragon must die!" Ayla whispered strongly.

Lucca and Robo came rushing up to them, "So, you guys get anything out of them?" Lucca asked quizzically.

"According, to the boys emotes, we can follow that southern path to get to the coast," Garet claimed as he pointed to a sign with a very simple drawing of a dragon on it.

"That's convenient, come on let's go!" Lucca said as Ayla led the charge.

Ayla led the party down the serene pathway that had the jungle on one side and a ravine on the other. As they continued, the ravine got lower and lower until the river was accessible from sandy banks. The river led out into a beach that overlooked the vast ocean and on that beach, an altar was erected. An elderly Demi-Human Sage, bearing bird-like traits, stood overlooking the ocean with many of his assistants. They had a group of frightened Human children tied up at the hands as well as to each other. The Sage seemed to be offering a prayer to the ocean as he raised his arms.

Once Ayla spotted her two children, she grew enraged and let out a wrathful roar, "LEAH! NOAH!" She roared with a giant leap into action.

"So much for stealth!" Lucca said as she drew her gun.

"'Gun's Blazing' is more effective for this predicament," Garet said flatly.

"Patience is a virtue!" Robo claimed.

"Not in this era it's not!" Lucca retorted.

Ayla's very presence brought light to the kid's faces as they cheered when they saw her quickly approaching. She leaped over the group of kids creating a barrier between her and the Demi-Human tribesman. The Sage went into a panic and instantly sicced his guards on them. However, Ayla made short work of them as she simply kicked them aside. This caused the Sage to bow and apologize comically. Ayla approached the Sage with a mother's anger as the rest of the party freed the children. Lucca undid the ties, Robo blanketed them with his Heal Beam and Garet gave them small rations and water.

Before Ayla could carry out any sort of punishment toward the Sage, the ocean began to change as dark clouds quickly emerged overhead. The Sage got to his feet fearfully and simply fled with his cohorts in tow. The ocean, then did a strange thing. It began to separate. A muddy pathway led to a large circular opening as the water supernaturally formed into walls. A large roar could be heard as the absence of the water revealed the Water Dragon.

"All right, that's our cue! Let's get it!" Lucca said zealously.

Ayla led the party down into the open ocean floor and they confronted the beast. It sat upon a large rock and it did indeed resemble a plesiosaur. Its blue body was decorated with yellow and reddish fins and its eyes were blood red. It snarled, revealing its thin yet sharp teeth, "Humans, the more developed ones. Why have you come out here? Do you intend to hinder my tributes from these fowl beast people? If you interfere I will slaughter you and them!" She threatened with a calm yet furious voice.

"Ayla come! Kill Water Dragon!" Ayla announced strongly.

"Very well then, Human, let's see what you can do!" She ended with a noise that sounded like a whale rather than a dragon.

The Water Dragon opened its mouth and spat a geyser out at Ayla. She promptly dodged with a backflip. Angered, Ayla turned to Lucca, "Lucca! Give Ayla fire!"

"Oh, starting strong are we?" Lucca asked with a grin as she snapped her fingers.

She blessed Ayla's feet with her fire magic. Ayla leaped into the air with a mighty jump, "Flame Kick!" Ayla roared. Ayla connected, she landed the kick right in the middle of the Dragon's neck, forcing its head to buckle a little and spit up some phlegm.

The Water Dragon hissed and came at Ayla with yet another Water Breath. This time it hit her hard and sent her flying. She recovered easily, however, and stood her ground.

While the Dragon focused on Ayla, Robo snuck in close. He opened his armor plates as the Dragon noticed him but it was too late for her to respond, "Proximity Bomb!" Robo buzzed. The Water Dragon's chest was enveloped by Robo's burning release of high-intensity energy and it batted him away with her fin in response.

The Dragon moaned in pain from Robo's attack as he pulled himself from the muddy seafloor. Robo looked around humorously in embarrassment before he witnessed Garet, charging up for an attack. Robo quickly moved out of the way as Garet unleashed his most powerful spell, "Incineration!" He chanted as the Water Dragon was enveloped by superheated air. The spell lit up the entire beach and when it had subsided the Water Dragon had suffered terrible burns across her entire body. "Miserable humans...," the Water Dragon gurgled. "I am not that easy to defeat..!"

The Water Dragon gleamed with blue light as the entire party was sucked into a magically generated maelstrom. The whirlpool threw the party around like rag dolls and it eventually spat them back out. They all became dizzy as a result. While the party stumbled around, the Water Dragon was changing things up. It cast a curative spell on itself and then, with a special spell, spilled a flood of blue magic onto the entire field. She sighed in relief as she felt her pain being washed away.

"She has control of the field! We must take back control!" Garet warned urgently.

"Ayla take back control! Lucca give Ayla MORE fire!" Ayla shouted as she quickly shook off the dizziness.

Lucca adjusted her glasses and got herself together, "Oh, right!" She said as she cast her Fire Blast onto Ayla.

Ayla took the blessing of fire and began to spin. Ayla created a fairly large tornado that was hot pink in color. Lucca watched intently, "A Hot Pink Tornado? I wonder how it will hold up?"

Ayla's attack barreled toward the Water Dragon but she grinned wickedly just before it reached her as it was blocked by a wall of ice. Ayla growled in anger. "There's too much water magic on the battlefield. That fire skill couldn't even pass through the ice wall," Garet informed.

"Damn!" Lucca spat. Just as she did so, the Water Dragon countered with another spell that washed over the field with nothing but water magic. "Stop that!" Lucca shouted again. She then thought to herself, "How am I supposed to summon this Phoenix if this thing keeps countering with water spells?"

The party resumed attacking the Water Dragon with physical assaults while Lucca tried to hatch some sort of plan to wipe the creature from the face of the planet. As her friends pounded the Dragon and the Dragon pounded them back, Lucca finally came up with a plan, "She's fast, but not that fast! Robo, Ayla! Do your Boogie dance, let's speed things up!" She announced.

Ayla and Robo agreed in unison and then began to perform Boogie. The Water Dragon tilted her head to the side in a quizzical manner as she watched them. The light show gave the party an opening. The Water Dragon had stopped in her tracks while the entire party had gained the Haste state. "Perfect!" Lucca said as she snapped her fingers again. She levitated off the ground as she glowed with red hot flames. "Garet, use your Field Control spell after I wallop her with my Flare spell! I'm gonna use that opening to summon the Phoenix!" She instructed.

"Affirmative!" Garet said as he stood back.

Lucca raised her arm and red sparkles congregated into a single point over the Water Dragon's chest. With a sudden burst, Lucca's Flare spell ignited like a massive bomb. Several pulsating waves of heat consumed the Dragon but due to Boogie, she was mesmerized and could not move. Garet wasted no time and cast his Field Control spell. The field was now consumed by fire magic power and the Water Dragon was coming out of her mesmerized state.

Robo threw Lucca an Ether and she chugged it. "Thanks, Robo, let's end this!" Lucca said strongly as she threw up her hands.

The Water Dragon came out of her hypnotic state and her eyes widened as she felt a strong presence enter the field. Descending like a flame, the beautiful bird stretched her rainbow-colored wings and she bathed herself in flames. The Phoenix let out a screech and the Water Dragon began to panic. The bird cast its Fire Storm spell and the Water Dragon was fully consumed by multicolored flames. When it had ended, the bird sang happily to the party as she departed in a massive fireball.

The Water Dragon was a charred mess. Her fins were reduced to bones and most of her skin was blackened and charred. She still had some breath left in her to speak though, "...Humans..., you have won this day... but this too... is Fate... Your end is nigh... Lady Zelah promised... them... our children...!" She said as she finally wasted away into scraps.

She left behind a mysterious Blue Relic and Ayla picked it up. "Pretty jewel. Ayla like!" She said with a smile as the party stored it away.

Just then, a rumbling occurred. The walls of water were collapsing, "We must go, NOW!" Robo said with his volume turned up all the way. The party darted up the pathway as water began pouring down and taking back its natural space. Luckily, the party made it back to the shoreline just in time for the resulting wave to carry them the rest of the way and wash them ashore.

"Pheew! That was some ride," Lucca said with relief.

Ayla threw her soaked hair back and then her fist into the air, "All Dragon god dead! Ayla and friends stronger!"

"Indeed, let us return to the Demi-Humans," Robo started. "Perhaps they will be overjoyed to hear of their oppressor's passing."

The party agreed in unison as Garet poured water out of his boot.

It was true, when the party returned, the Demi-Humans rejoiced and mothers embraced their children with tears of joy. The Sage bowed repeatedly, seemingly asking for forgiveness. "It ok! No more do bad stuff!" Ayla said as she waved her finger in a disciplinary manner.

The people began throwing a party as some others broke off from the group. These others came to Ayla about the group of Human children they took, Ayla got on to them as well, "Take children home or Ayla come find you!" She threatened.

The men were visibly shaken and began to get their things together for a return trip to Ioka. The children cheered for Ayla as she hugged hers close. "Beast men take you home! Ayla be home soon! Have bad man to kill!" She said to the children. "Be strong for Ayla! For village!"

The children agreed and as the party began making their way out the Sage stopped them one more time. He handed them a gift. It was a large spherical blue gem. Spekkio chimed in, "Hey, it's Leviathan! That means the gang's all here! Thanks for reuniting all of us, you guys! It's great to get to catch up with everyone!"

"So this is all of them, huh?" Lucca said to no one in particular. "Well, let's leave the Demi-Humans to their festive planning. We don't have time to sit around and get plastered again."

"Yes, it seems like the death of the Water Dragon has lifted their spirits substantially," Garet observed.

"I wonder what these Relics each of the Dragons had are for?" Robo asked puzzled.

"Let's get going, we can figure that out when we get back!" Lucca urged, hoping to avoid being sucked into the festivities.

And so, the party left the Demi-Humans and the Demi-Humans waved goodbye to them as they lifted off into the air. The party, none more so than Ayla, waved back enthusiastically. With that, the ship zipped back to the End of Time.

*End of Time*

The party began to throw their own little celebration after conquering all six Dragons. Armor and weapons were made for Marle and anyone else who needed them with the exception of Robo who did not have the necessary materials for it. Marle was handed a powerful crossbow made from Denadorium and the Water Dragon's bones. "I'm gonna call this, Odin's Bow!" She said smiling. "And this Stardust Suit is a little heavy but its weight is so evenly distributed I barely notice! The Stardust Ribbon is a nice touch too!"

"This Black Knight's Plate and Shield are great too!" Glenn said impressed with his new armor.

Lex was impressed with his armor as well, "Ah, this Dragonbone Mail and gauntlets fit so well! So this is Denadorium, huh? Incredible!"

Crono gathered everyone around as the party inspected all six Relics. "These are more than just trophies," Crono mused out loud.

"So what do you suppose they are?" Marle asked quizzically.

"I haven't the slightest...," Lucca said stopping herself.

The rest of the party lost themselves in thought trying to figure out what the Relics were until Gaspar broke the silence, "Ho, ho, ho, perhaps you should see Zelah about them? She waits for 'someone' in the far future. Robo's era to be exact."

"Eh? Why is she in my time? What does she have to gain by being in the future?" Robo asked with a series of puzzled beeps.

"Where even is she? How do we find her?" Crono asked urgently.

"She hides atop a place where space travel was once studied but it is now decrepit and lost," Gaspar alluded.

Robo quickly ran through his vast database and he quickly found a match, "I know where that is! It's a place called the Sunstar Space Center! Back in the mid 1900's the humans launched their first rocket to the moon. However, it became a field of science that didn't quite take off. It never developed further because there wasn't much reason to go to space with the little resources they had. Then Lavos attacked anyway and decimated it. Even on a new timeline, it should still be abandoned. All right, perhaps I will take point on this one then? Crono, Marle, Lucca, will you assist me?"

"You bet!" Lucca and Marle cheered.

"Let's put an end to whatever little plan Zelah has!" Crono said strongly.

The party regrouped and made their way to the Neo Epoch. Within moments, the party took off to the future.

*2305 A.D. The Future*

As the Neo Epoch appeared over the skies of the Future, Robo instructed Crono on where to go, "Crono, do you remember the island where Lucca lives in your time? That's where we need to go."

"A Spaceport was built over my old home?" Lucca asked in astonishment.

"In this timeline, yes," Robo claimed. "Your scientific insight was still well known into the future, Lucca."

"Yeah, I learned that back when Dalton was still in control," Lucca continued in astonishment.

Crono easily found the island that once was home to Lucca. It was overgrown and full of plant life. Crono landed the Neo Epoch on a broken-up parking lot outside the decrepit Spaceport. The rusted remains of the launch pad and its surrounding facility could be seen looming over the area. Everyone seemed astonished, standing for a moment to take in their surroundings. Robo whirred, "Well, shall we enter?"

The party treaded softly through the tall grass and broken concrete as they passed through the rusted fence. The island was deserted. Even void of most animal life, monsters, and robots. The robots in question were piles of rusted metal that small rodents made their homes in. The party approached a steel door, meant for employees, that was ajar. Robo easily pushed it open and light entered the dusty old facility.

"Wow, this place is nasty!" Marle claimed with her tongue sticking out in disgust.

"Yeah, it looks like it hasn't been visited in years," Crono added as he pushed over a metal shelf that collapsed.

"...To think..., space travel..., too bad it couldn't have gone farther," Lucca mused somberly over the waste.

"One of the main reasons for space travel failing as it did, was money," Robo claimed. "Space Travel gave back very little in comparison to what it cost to do, so humans stopped sending people and sent probes instead. In this era, this could be done at more advanced facilities. Hence why this one is abandoned."

"So it was just too ambitious, huh?" Marle said with understanding.

"Yes, it did not help that the nations of the world were competing to be the first to accomplish this task," Robo added.

Lucca sighed, "So it wasn't done for the sake of literal higher learning, but a 'flexing' contest?"

"That's one way to see it," Robo claimed, not denying her point of view.

"Heh, if they just started with robots instead of people, they might not have gone broke so fast!" Crono laughed.

"Perhaps you are right, Crono," Robo contemplated. "But it is rare for a world leader to be as considerate as you and Marle." The party paused before Robo's sentiment, "Anyway, we should be moving on. This topic is irrelevant."

The party got back on track and began searching the facility for ways to reach the top. The party searched through empty rooms, dark hallways, dirty closets, and broke down computer rooms. On their way through some testing chambers for interstellar robots, they found astoundingly rare machine parts. Robo claimed that they were usable with the Smith Spirit so the party quickly summoned it. The party gave the broken machine parts and Denadorium to the spirit and after some time passed Robo was presented with some astounding equipment, "This Galactic Buster Arm and Deep Space Plate armor is vastly more powerful than my Mythril equipment! The dark starry shine is a nice contrast with my bright yellow body as well!"

After admiring the work of the Smith Spirit, the party continued their journey. They came to a stairwell that went up five stories that were broken on two of the floors but they ascended where they could. Once they got to a broken area they entered the facility again to find another way up. They ascended further and further, taking it carefully as they climbed the stairwell and the creaky facility until finally, they reached the top of an Air Traffic Control Tower that contained the main control room. The steel framework service structure that once held the rocket now leaned and tipped a little as it no longer had a rocket to service.

The party inspected the control room and found nothing of interest, until suddenly, the Dragon Relics revealed themselves from the party's storage and they levitated around the room until they made a circle above them. "Is this some sort of trap?" Crono asked as he placed his hand on his blade.

Lucca and Marle drew their weapons as well, "I don't know but we should be ready!"

Then, a familiar disembodied voice echoed throughout the atmosphere, "Humans, for too long has this planet suffered under your reign...," said the familiar voice, revealing herself as Zelah. She then appeared from thin air as she descended.

"All right, wait, I'm gonna stop you right here...," Crono said as he halted her monologue. "Just what are we guilty of that you dinosaurs hate us so much for?"

Zelah sneered as she was seemingly cornered, "Fine, you want to know the truth behind this little charade? The truth is, human, that while I do believe this planet would be better off in our hands that is merely the surface of our feelings. The depth is, I HATE THE FACT THAT LAVOS DESTROYED OUR CIVILIZATION, CHANGED THE CLIMATE, AND THEN A WORLD THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BELONG TO US WAS BASICALLY HANDED TO YOU!"

"Ah, envy, that makes much more sense. Now you see? Don't you feel a little better about coming clean about your feelings and that this whole thing wasn't some sort of environmental protection crusade?" Crono said mockingly.

"NO!" Zelah barked. "I took the hand that I was dealt after you killed Azala and I found that through the destruction of Lavos, the very same creature could easily give it all back! So I used its power to create the Dragon God but you had to come in and nearly stop me from taking back what is rightfully mine. Luckily, separating the Dragon God and sending it through the ages to acquire years of development from this world and all its notable eras in history gave it new strength!"

"So what exactly are you planning with this, so-called, Dragon God?" Lucca asked flippantly.

"I am so glad you asked, human," Zelah spat. "I am going to kill you with it, and after you are dead, I will use its power to cleanse this planet of your species, the disgusting Demi-Humans, and all your little metal toys! After that, I will be the new Goddess of the Dragonians and we will simply start over from here after you are all dead! I am taking back this planet for us, for the Reptites, for the Dragonians, and WE will be the ones to rule this world as it should have been!"

"And you think Dalton, or Lavos, or whatever, is just going to let you do that?" Marle asked with a raised brow.

"No, of course not!" Zelah continued. "That's why after I am done here, I will take my precious Dragon God and go wipe that red star stain off the face of this planet! So get ready to defend yourselves, humans!"

Zelah began casting an ancient chant from Reptite witchcraft and she was enveloped by a strange light. The six Relics resonated with it until they flew out the window and into the sky above the service structure. Zelah herself joined them. The sky grew black as if the entire island was now covered by a terrible storm. From this storm, descending from the clouds, a terrible dragon emerged. It was covered in lightning as it took shape. Its scales were white and it had six eyes, three on each side of the head. It had long whiskers that acted like whips and horns like antlers. Its mouth was lined with two rows of gnarly teeth and its lower jaw was like the head of a shovel. Its body was like that of a serpent that reached down from the sky until it glared downward at the party.

Its feminine voice rumbled like thunder, "NOW I SHALL TAKE BACK OUR WORLD!"

It leaned in close to the air control tower and roared. The force removed the roof from the structure and it flew off, landing into the building below. "Okay..., so does anyone have any ideas?" Crono asked quizzically.

"My sensor readings indicate it is far more powerful than the parts used to make it," Robo claimed. "But, I can still measure the magnitude of its power. It does not overload my sensors, so some of this creature's design and actions may just be for spectacle. However, we have detected six presences, within the Dragon aside from Zelah. This Dragon God may be able to use the powers of all six."

"If that's the case, then when it does switch, we can use my little invention to swap our friends in and out of battle to get an advantage!" Lucca said, struck with brilliance.

"That sounds like a good idea!" Marle said cheerfully. "Um, what's its power now?"

"My scanner indicates that is currently of the Light element!" Robo whirred. "Shadow magic may prove effective!"

"All right!" Crono said as he made a mad dash for the Dragon God. "I'll strike it and while it's distracted I'll tag Janus in! I'll explain everything to the others!"

"Crono!" Lucca and Marle shouted in unison.

Crono leaped toward the Dragon God's face and it seemed to glare at him, "Steel Cyclone!" He shouted as he began tearing through the Dragon God's face with his skill.

The Dragon God reeled back and roared in pain as blood dripped down its face. Crono then activated his belt buckle Gate Key and he was consumed by time and space. In a flash, Janus took his spot and he seemed wide-eyed with surprise. "What the hell is this?!" Janus said harshly as he turned to face the Dragon God.

"Quick, no time to explain-!" Lucca said as she began to explain in alarmingly short detail the plan. He understood easily despite his annoyed expression.

Janus turned to face the Dragon God as it recovered from Crono's attack. It roared and cast a spell. Lightning danced from its mouth and connected to the tower. The party was electrocuted but managed to shake it off. Janus, irritated, snapped his fingers as he followed with hand motions to focus a spell. "Dark Matter," Janus mumbled quietly. The Dragon God was consumed in Janus's dimensional distortion spell that tore at the Dragon's form. "You felt that this time, did you not?" Janus continued quietly to himself with a smirk.

"Laser Flash!" Robo followed up with a burst of negative energy of his own.

The girls also followed with a Double Tech skill, "Antipode Blitz!" the girls chanted as they combined their most powerful ice and fire spells. The explosion created a chain of powerful explosions that tore chunks off the Dragon's face and body.

The Dragon God roared in pain and cast a healing spell on itself to restore some of its flesh. It then followed with a powerful spell that caused white spheres of magic to rain down from the heavens and pelt the party. While the party recovered the Dragon God acted strangely. Its body began shifting and changing as it gained a more earthy color scheme with thicker scales made from stone.

"It's changing its element to Earth! We should call in Ty while it's still transforming!" Lucca said urgently.

Robo processed the situation and came to a quick solution, "Janus, Lucca, please swap with Ty and Ayla. Ty's wind magic will take a back seat to other types if it combines with them! Ayla and I have skills that will benefit from Ty's magic without changing its element!"

Marle jumped excitedly like a child, "Oh, oh, me, me! I got a few techs I've been wanting to try with Ty that will do some work!"

Without hesitation, Janus swapped Ty in and Ayla swapped with Lucca. They both seemed surprised but already understood the situation. "Woah, not much warning with this swap mechanic, huh?!" Ty said with a chuckle.

Ayla looked around, the Dragon God gaining her full attention, "Woah! Big Mama Dragon! Ayla crush!" She said as she cracked her knuckles.

"Ty give me your Bio spell! I got a mean skill I want to use!" Marle said strongly.

"All right-y then!" Ty agreed as he blessed Marle's Bow with his Bio spell.

Marle shot the arrow into the sky, "These Bio Arrows will give this Dragon quite the sting!"

Indeed, the corrosive arrows pelted the Dragon God and managed to poison her but she was undaunted as she roared loudly. "Eek, I thought that would do more!" Marle claimed.

"Uh, just give it some time! It'll kick in with time!" Ty said with a not entirely sure tone to his voice.

"Well, let me buff your wind magic! Let's make a Blizzard!" Marle urged.

"Sounds good, to me!" Ty said strongly with a thumbs up.

"Warning, the Dragon God attacks!" Robo said with caution.

The Dragon God bellowed angrily, "GAH! DIE, HUMANS, DIE!" She cast an Earth Quake spell and the party was pelted with seismic energy as they were tossed and jostled with rocks and pillars of magically generated stone.

The party took some considerable damage but managed to pick themselves up, "Robo, take my Storm Shield and combine it with your Heal Beam...!" Ty said with a cough.

"Acknowledged!" Robo stood ready as he became covered in Ty's shield. He then took the shield and it was projected onto the entire party.

Ty became winded from his spell use draining his stamina. Marle came to his aid with an Ether, "Here, drink this!" She said as she handed it to him.

Ty thanked her and guzzled the med and he stood up. "Warning, Dragon God is coming in!" Robo warned again. The Dragon God had her mouth wide open as she set her sights on devouring Ty. "Ty, bless my arm with a wind spell!" Robo whirred.

Ayla followed, "Give Ayla wind too!"

Ty blessed Robo's arm just before the Dragon God could get too close. "Spiral Punch!" Robo announced as a powerful punch knocked the Dragon God's mouth away.

Ty then followed by blessing Ayla, "Tornado Kick!" Ayla shouted strongly as she hit the Dragon God's eye with a powerful stomp that was buffed with a powerful spin of wind magic.

"GAH!" bellowed the Dragon God as she angrily shook her head back and forth in pain.

Ty backed up a bit, so he could put distance between himself and the Dragon's mouth. Ayla and Robo faced Ty again and spoke to him in unison, "Ty, more magic! Please!"

Ty broke out into a sweat as he blessed Robo again, "Storm Tackle!" Robo whirred as he took off and leaped into the Dragon God's jaw. He bounced back and the Dragon God gleamed, "Quickly, before she charges another earth spell!"

"Here, Ayla!" Ty shouted as he sweated buckets.

"Ayla stop Dragon! Tail Storm!" She said vigorously as she leaped into Ty's Wind Storm. The Wind Storm turned pink and confused the Dragon God, making her dizzy.

Ayla cheered as she came back down. Then, the party noticed Ty with his arms stretched toward the heavens. He was exasperated. Several blood veins popped up all across his body as he chuckled, "There's more than enough wind magic on the field. Time to call my summon! Genie, give me a hand here would ya, please!" He said desperately.

"Ty, you're using too much magic at once! You'll pass out!" Marle shouted, trying to warn him.

Ty managed to summon the Genie, however. The Genie descended from thin air above him as a very tall woman with tan skin, blonde hair that was tied into two very long twin tails, amber-colored eyes, baggy white pants with a v-shaped vest that showed her cleavage and naval, a golden girdle, a toned figure, and green painted nails. She winked at Ty seductively as he tried to catch his breath. She then flew off to meet the Dragon God and she began a dance on the air. The Genie created three tornados that were far larger than Ty could ever create. These tornados beat and battered the Dragon God like a flag caught in a storm.

When it was over, Genie waved at Ty and the party with a friendly expression and she vanished with a backflip. The Dragon God whined, "WHY?! WHY DO THE SPIRITS OF THE PLANET HELP YOU SO MUCH?! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND!"

The Dragon God began to change its element again. Marle went up to Ty, who was fighting to stay standing. She got him to drink another Ether and he seemed to stabilize as he gave her a weak smile. "Sorry, we'll have to try that Blizzard tech another time...," He said weakly. She smiled back and gave him a chuckle.

"Warning, the Dragon God is changing its element to fire! Swap in Glenn and Lex!" Robo conducted.

Ty swapped with Lex and Ayla swapped with Glenn. Glenn drew his sword, "So, this is the beast's last stand, is it? Then have at you, Dragon God!"

Lex followed up, "Your reign ends here, foul reptile!"

Once the change was complete, the Dragon God seemed revitalized. Even Ty's poison was gone. Ty's shielding even wore off as well. The Dragon God picked up the pace and cast a fire spell. The party was consumed with a blazing flare, not unlike what Lucca would use. When it had ended, the party was put down with terrible burns. Glenn and Marle managed to pick themselves up. "We..., should..., combine out healing... spells, Glenn..."

"Yes..., Lady Marle...!" Glenn said as the two did just that.

"Restoration!" They chanted in unison as the party was blanketed in a healing power that was cool and refreshing.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" the Dragon God said angrily.

The Dragon God began spitting Magma Bombs and Fire Balls at the party in a desperate manner as it stayed away from them. "She is too difficult to reach with our weapons, what do we do?" Glenn asked as he dodged a fireball.

Robo countered a fireball with his Water Jet, "The three of you are all Water magic innates. Is there some way to combine your magic together all at once?"

Marle and Lex combined Hexagon Mist and Icefall to create a 'Diamond Saw' as they used it to counter the incoming barrage of flames. Sadly, the spell melted before it could reach the Dragon God. "Robo is right! Come! Let us create the ultimate water spell!" Glenn said, taking Robo's advice.

The three took a stance once the Dragon God paused. They threw their hands into the air and water magic power flooded the area. A cold mist formed and it created Lex's Mist Dragon caricature. It was then shaped by Glenn's water and some features then frozen by Marle's ice. The Dragon God took offense, "WHAT IS THIS MOCKERY?!"

"I call this work of art the Deep Freeze Dragon!" Lex claimed.

The Deep Freeze Dragon rushed toward the Dragon God as it spat spires of ice at her. The spires pierced the fireballs with ease and then went on to pierce the flesh of the Dragon God. Then the spell collided with the Dragon God and drenched her with ice-cold water and razor-sharp spikes of ice. The Dragon God was stunned as if its flames were put out and it was simply too cold to move. The party then took advantage of the situation to pelt her with a barrage of water spells. When the party exhausted themselves, the Dragon God began to change again. Like a serpent, she began shedding her skin to reveal green smooth scales and wings that replaced the horns at the top of its head.

Marle faced them, exhausted, "That looks like the wind element to me. I'll swap out for Tomo," She said as she did so.

Tomo swapped in with a big smile, "So that's her, huh? I don't know what I was expecting honestly..," She said unimpressed.

The Dragon God expelled a rancid breath that the party narrowly avoided. Thankfully, the party's equipment protected them from any ailments that they would have gotten. "Tomo, bless my arm with your Earth magic, please!" Robo asked politely.

"Oh, you bet!" She agreed.

Tomo blessed Robo's arm and he sent his fist flying. When it hit the Dragon God in the forehead, it repeatedly pounded her like a Jackhammer with seismic energy causing her teeth to chatter. "That should leave you with quite a headache!" Robo claimed as he pulled his arm back.

Lex and Glenn cast a Cleansing Fog over the party to give them a reprieve and hide their presence. The Dragon God shook off the damage all while spitting out some of its teeth. The Dragon God grumbled and hissed with seething anger. It began to flap its wings and the tornados it created pummeled the party and removed their protective fog. She then cast a regenerative spell on herself and she began to grow back some of her teeth. However, before the Dragon God could do more, it was covered by a magically generated Mudslide created by Tomo and Glenn. It was smothered by mud and razor-sharp stones.

"All right! Let's finish, Glenn! Get that big frog of yours out here!" Tomo said excitedly.

"Very well, then!" Glenn agreed, eager to see what she had in mind.

Glenn summoned his Frog Squash and Tomo used her magic to petrify it into a massive stone statue. The statue fell hard on top of the Dragon God's head and it shattered. The Dragon God fell from the sky and hit the ground. It felt like it shook the entire island but she wasn't dead. She rose up and she began to change again. Her smooth scales turned blue and her molted wings became fins. "Water Dagon powers activated, Glenn, Lex, swap with Garet and Lucca!" Robo instructed.

They agreed as the swap was made. The Dragon God began to cast curative spells on itself to heal some of its aches and pains. "Oh, no you don't!" Lucca shouted. "Hey Tomo, give me an Earth Quake! She's about to get one nasty burn!"

"Right!" Tomo agreed as she cast her Earth Quake.

Lucca combined the spell with her Flare and the combination created a devastating fire spell. "How about that? A full-fledged Eruption!" Lucca said with confidence.

This undid all the damage and then some that the Dragon God managed to heal. "NO, NO, NOOO! I WILL NOT DIE!" bellowed the Dragon God as she began pelting the team with lances of ice and spheres of water.

As the party did their best to avoid the water spells, Garet spoke up, "Lucca let us combine our strongest magic spells. I will heat up the air and you cast Flare and give the air surrounding this creature a Flash Point."

Lucca nodded and she began casting Flare. Garet found a safe position to cast his Incineration spell and with a bright flash, the Dragon God was hit with a flash burn that turned one of her arms into instant ash and bone. She roared in pain as she began spamming herself with more healing spells.

Robo turned to Garet and Lucca, "Could you please do that again, but this time, bless me with it and I'll focus it through my Prometheus Lens!"

"Oh, a sort of Focused Flare, huh?" Lucca grinned.

Garet nodded as he began to bless Robo with his spell and Lucca did the same. The Dragon God managed to grow back her arm only for her to get struck with Robo's Focus Flare. The resulting damage was severe. So severe, that her next change began with her shedding her skin. She gained a dark appearance, "Shadow state activated! Tomo, please swap for Crono!" Robo asked politely.

Tomo gave a comical salute and swapped herself out. Crono came back and he was impressed, "Wow, you guys sure did a number on her, huh?"

"Indeed, my sensors indicate-!" Robo said as he was cut off by a powerful spell that manipulated the gravity around the party. The party was squashed, stretched, and warped as they were tossed aside like rag dolls.

Crono lifted his head, clenching his teeth, "She just won't keel over yet, will she?"

Lucca whined as she held her aching arm, "It's been a battle of stamina that's for sure!"

"As I was saying," Robo sputtered a bit. "The Dragon God is..., forget it let's just hit her with a Megavolt!"

"About time!" Crono said as he grinned.

Crono blessed Robo with his magic and Robo magnified the electrical energy to a frightening degree. Robo erupted with lightning as it escaped from his body and danced across the Dragon God's entire body. The lightning seared her body and flung scales from her as it coursed through her. The Dragon God changed once more. Only, she seemed to return to her Light form. Robo scanned her, "Hmm, Light seems to be her natural form! Garet please swap with Janus. Lucca, let's use the Omega Flare!"

"Right on!" Lucca cheered as Garet swapped.

"Still kicking I see," Janus mused. "Your plan?"

"Omega Flare, let's finish her off!" Robo said strongly.

"Hmm, interesting choice," Janus replied.

Everyone involved took an Ether and regained some of their strength. The Dragon God, however, tried desperately to save herself with some last-minute healing spells. "Survive this if you can, Dragon God, but if you don't, then this is farewell," Janus said as he levitated alongside Lucca. Robo stood between them as he received the magic into his body. Robo levitated high above the tower and unleashed a powerful dark beam of superheated energy. It hit its mark and the Dragon God was severely damaged. Blood poured from her mouth and her body was seared in many places. However, through sheer hatred alone, she endured. "I WILL NOT PERISH! THE DRAGON GOD... WAS NOT MEANT TO DIE!" She bellowed with a guttural fury.

The party was stunned, "How is she still alive after all of that?" Crono asked no one in particular as he scratched his head.

Janus walked forward with a blank look on his face that almost became one of pity. "You miserable creature. All this work to become humanity's reaper and you only end up meeting him yourself...," He continued as he threw his hands up and took a deep breath.

"Oh! The Omega Flare flooded the field with shadow magic!" Crono noticed.

A dark fog rolled in and seemed to cover the entire island. From that fog, a shapeless figure began to emerge before the Dragon God. It was cloaked in darkness as its skeletal hand produced a rather simple scythe. With one blinding strike, the Grim Reaper hit the Dragon God with its blade and it froze in place. The Grim Reaper then melted back into the fog and it dispersed. The Dragon God's eyes went blank as the creature finally fell to the ground one final time. Janus put down his arms, "Rest now, Zelah. Let yourself and your people embrace death. One day, humanity will eventually face the same fate but as long as we can fight and change we will continue to endure. All that has a beginning must have an end after all."

The Dragon God let out no voice. No monologue. The party was met with absolute silence. Until, the tower they stood on, crumbled. As it did, Crono leaped into the air, Janus levitated, and Robo gave Lucca a boost as he too jumped from the falling tower. The party approached the dead god. Not a peep came from her as her body quickly began to crumble into ashes, bone and all.

Lucca got down from Robo's shoulders, "And just like that... It's over. The last of Dalton's 'disciples' falls." She turned to Robo, "Great job on being the lead on this one Robo. You were amazing!"

Robo pounded his chest, "When it comes to stamina, I was built to last!"

"Indeed you were buddy!" Crono said with a wide smile.

Janus took a deep breath as he simply sighed with a soft smile.

*End of Time*

With all the disciples slain, the party returned to the End of Time. Crono stood before Gaspar, "Well, that's everything I think," Crono said, still a little unsure.

"Great job on laying her fury to rest," Gaspar began. "Lavos would have never allowed her to create a new future for the Dragonians without making them its puppets. She just couldn't see the truth passed all the rage. Well, now that, that is settled. You can now go and confront your dad and Lavos or if you're still feeling unsure and you need a little more training, you could always visit the Prison of Time."

"The Prison of Time?" Crono asked curiously.

"Here, time does not flow, so you can take all the time you need to, to polish whatever skill you still believe needs work," Gaspar started. "There are some horrors down there that may still yet challenge you, but be warned. The depths of the Prison are not for the faint of heart. So what will it be? Will you take one final moment to train yourselves to the peak or will you play your hand?"

Crono thought deeply about the decision and then he lifted his head and smiled, "I think a victory lap is a fine idea! What do you say, everyone? How about one last run to make sure we have everything we need?"

Everyone gave their agreement in one way or another. Gaspar smiled warmly as he knew the young man could not resist a challenge, "Good luck to you then! Come back safely now. The world is counting on you!"

*End of Chapter*