Chapter 9

Sorry about not posting last month, the truth is I forgot. Still working on the game (a demo should be out by the end of the month) as well as the story...speaking of which, here's the next chapter [preview].

Tunnel of Horrors

With the sun waning in the sky a shadow was cast over the entrance to the tunnel. It was far too round and uniform to have been naturally formed, even though several centuries had passed since it was first opened. The ground around it didn’t appear to be heavily trafficked but if more than a cursory glance was given tracks could be seen. With her sword out Crono was the first to step through the entrance and almost immediately found herself in pitch-black darkness. She was soon joined by Lucca, who was carrying a torch, and could see the old, tool-hewn walls of the cave. The light didn’t stretch very far, maybe only a few meters, but it was enough to prevent Crono from running into any of the walls.

The three made their way through the cool, damp tunnel. Occasionally water would drip down on them, interrupting the regular sound of drops hitting the hard ground. After a few minutes the tunnel opened up into a small chamber and while the torch light could just barely touch the far side of the cave it highlighted the three other figures standing in the room. They were most definitely not human, having pale yellow skin and a wide, frog-like smile. Their squat bodies were thick but protected by a set of old, rusty armor. Their exposed arms bulged with muscle but also had a greasy sheen to them. Each of them was glaring at Crono and the one in the middle pointed in the redhead’s direction. “Death to the humans!”

They charged, headlong at the swordswoman but their clanking gear slowed their movement. Crono was able to jump out of the way of the first two but the third slammed into her side, sending her sprawling on the ground. The redhead found herself straddled by one of the goons and tried to deflect the heavy blows that flew at her head but a few made contact. Fighting through the stars that were dancing in her vision, Crono made a weak slash and cut into the unprotected arm of her attacker. The damage was only superficial and soon her weapon was wrested from her grasp and thrown to the side. The creature reeled back for an attack that was meant for her head but a bolt shot through the thing’s neck, spraying blood over the redhead’s face. It clutched at its throat, falling to the side while a pool of dark fluid began to spread out beneath it.

Crono managed to pull herself together and get to a knee, seeing the other two chasing her friends around the room. One of them managed to trip Marle and jump on her. With no time to find her sword Crono summoned the magic she had just been gifted with and held out both hands at the creature, shooting a blast of lightning into its body. The amphibian seized up, spasming uncontrollably before falling onto its back with smoke rising from several black patches on its armor. The energy it required took everything Crono had left to give and she keeled over. She watched helplessly from the ground as Marle and Lucca were able to take advantage of their favorable numbers and eventually kill the final creature.

Once they were sure they had won the two rushed over to the redhead to check on her. Marle used one of the tricks of her magic to infuse Crono with energy, allowing the swordswoman to recover far faster than she would have on her own. They collected what they thought they could use and continued on into the depths. It wasn’t long before the passage began to slope down as it made its way under the sea. The air grew colder while the walls sweated. Everything, including the three travelers, seemed to have a layer of water coating it. Crono wiped the fluid from her face while she tried to peer through the increasing darkness that was caused by the torch waning in the damp conditions.

It wasn’t long before they reached the next cavern, which appeared to be a much more natural phenomenon. The ground was smooth but uneven and dotted with stalagmites. The cool air was silent but for the sound of their footsteps. The flickering light gave Crono a small field of vision but she just managed to see the brief flash from the torch reflecting off something. The redhead paused for a second; waiting for an attack, but after none came immediately she inched closer to the source. With her friends staying close behind the swordswoman drew near what she thought was a ball of some kind but the closer she came the more Crono could see that it was an ornate vase.

It was a bit incongruous to see such a symbol of civilization deep in a savage cavern. Marle thought for a moment that it would look nice back at the castle but jumped back when she saw the thing shake. Crono’s shuffle backwards was hindered a bit by Lucca’s slow movement so all the redhead could do was swing feebly at the pink blur that shot out of the top of the jug. She turned to follow its path as it landed behind her, but immediately regretted her reflex when she felt something thick and slimy wrap around her wrist. With both hands gripping her sword Crono pulled away from the bottle with all of her might and immediately slipped to the ground. The combination of the wet stone and the lack of any resistance to her movement caused her to lose her balance and she was soon sprawled on the ground with another pink creature grappling her.

After stepping away from the swordswoman and watching her friend fall to the floor soon after, Lucca’s attention was drawn back to the vase when a third creature crawled out of it. Aside from the bright pink color the creature looked eerily similar to one of the mutants that had attacked them 1,300 years from now (she hoped she had gotten those tenses right). It had the same bulbous head, the same stubby tentacles and the same menacing eyes. Lucca recalled the battle and how badly it had gone the last time, but that was before she could cast spells. Lucca eyed the thing carefully and began to summon a ball of fire in her hand. The flame grew until it fit comfortably in her palm before she threw it at the creature in one swift motion. The orb exploded on contact, blocking her sight of the creature for a moment but when it cleared a moment later Lucca couldn’t see any difference with the creature. Puzzled by the lack of reaction, Lucca was caught off guard when the thing expanded quickly and shot a ball of its own flame back at Lucca through the circular opening that made up its mouth. The genius threw up her hands to protect against the attack and was thrown back when it burst against her arms.

Sorry

I thought I was almost there but finding time to work on the game isn't coming easily. I've managed to get another chapter out but since there's no sex in it I'm making it a free one (see below).

Things are progressing but much slower than I would have hoped. I appreciate those of you who've hung around or checked in periodically. I hope that when I finally do release something it will have been worth the wait.

Chapter 8

Oblivion

As her vision cleared after the flash Crono opened her eyes and saw…nothing. It wasn’t the nothing of an empty area or a vast plain stretched out before her, it was an absolute void. She stared into an endless expanse of emptiness. There was so much nothing that she couldn’t even judge how war she could see. For a moment she thought that it just might be because there wasn’t any light in the place she was, but when she turned she saw her friends as clear as day. Each of them had the same expression of bewilderment on their face. “Where are we?” Lucca turned slowly to look at Crono. Robo turned its head robotically from side to side. “My sensors aren’t detecting anything beyond the platform we’re on.” Crono finally looked down at the cobblestone floor she stood on. It appeared in every sense to be a normal stone building but it was suspended in a black abyss.

Marle approached the ledge and looked over, finding the base of the structure stretching to an impossible distance, vanishing to a point. “This…this is so weird.” Lucca nodded but stopped when something caught her attention. “Wait, do you hear that?” Everyone stopped moving for a moment and each focused their ears on a slight breezing sound. Crono pulled out her sword and started walking towards the noise. The four of them walked over a small bridge to another pillar of stone and came up short in confusion. At the center of the pillar was a streetlamp that shone a dim, yellow light down. Leaning against the post was a figure clad in old, brown clothes, sleeping. The area was surrounded by a metal gate except for a space across from where they had entered.

Crono looked about the area, seeing a few odd baubles here and there but the only other thing of significance was a door that was set into the fence but didn’t seem to go anywhere. Lucca walked over to the sleeping person and gently shook their shoulder. With a start the figure woke up and looked up at the genius. “Uh, hi?” The old man blinked sleepy eyes for a moment before he seemed to realize someone was talking to him. “Are…are you real?” The man’s thin hand reached up and traced a finger across Lucca’s cheek. He stared at his hand for a second, not believing his own sense of touch, before Marle joined in on the conversation. “Hey, can you tell us where we are?” The old man looked at the blonde then back at Lucca. The man seemed amused to see someone standing before him “Huh.” He stood up and brushed himself off. The man suddenly assumed an affable bearing and tipped the round hat at the four of them. “A pleasure to meet you.”

Lucca looked at Marle who just shrugged. “So…can you tell us where we are?” The man put his hat back on and smiled. “Yes I can miss….” It took a moment foe the genius to realize he was asking her name “Oh, Lucca.” She held a hand out and he took it, bowing forward slightly. “And this is Marle, Crono and Robo.” She indicated to each in turn. The man gave a slight nod to each before returning to the purple-haired girl. “Well, Miss Lucca, you’re at the end of time.” A frown crossed her forehead. “Um…the end…” the man’s smile didn’t waver. “Of time, yes.” Lucca tilted her head to the side and her mouth hung open as she tried to figure out if he was making fun of her or not. “Can you explain that?” The man nodded. “Of course, but I doubt you’ll understand. I can barely comprehend it myself.”

He walked over to the metal fence and gestured to the empty space beyond. “Here, in this place, time has ended. All the rules of the natural world that you’re familiar with no longer apply.” He stopped for a second in thought before continuing. “Well, that’s not precisely true. Some of the laws still work, they just don’t have to.” Lucca stopped him. “Hold on, what do you mean by end of time?” He smiled but gave her a small shrug. “As I said, I really don’t understand myself; what I do know is that this is so far into the future of the universe that it has ended. Nothing exits any longer, at least not as it was. Space and time stopped at a certain point and everything that happened afterwards is a jumble of…I don’t know.” The genius shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

The man walked back to the lamp post. “Let me try…this light. Do you understand that the light comes from the lamp?” Lucca nodded with a goofy look on her face, not liking being treated as a dunce. “Well, do you also know that it takes time for the light to travel from the lamp to the ground?” The purple-haired was a bit more intrigued by that statement but Robo chimed in. “You’re referring to the ‘speed of light’.” The man paused for a second and withdrew into himself. “‘Speed of light’, I like the sound of that. Yes it takes a certain amount of time for light to get from one point to another. Here, however, time doesn’t exist. So I can turn off the lamp…” The man flipped a switch on the post and the top of the pole grew dark but the surrounding area remained illuminated. “…and nothing changes. The light that comes from the lamp remains fixed because it doesn’t have to move. Nothing in the universe tells it what it can or cannot do.”

Lucca seemed to be struggling to fathom what he was saying. “But…then how did the light get there in the first place?” The man shrugged. “I don’t know. If time simply didn’t pass than I wouldn’t be here, none of us would be. We’d be frozen in un-time, but we can move.” The man’s smile turned into a smirk. “Have you noticed that none of you are breathing?” Marle panicked for a moment, clutching at her throat and chest as if she were suffocating. Crono grabbed onto her hands and brought the two of them together, calming the prince down. “There’s no air here, but you don’t need it because your body isn’t working. No processes in any of your bodies are active at this time…at least I don’t think they are. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been here but I’ve never had anything to eat. I’ve never felt hungry or fatigued, or sleepy.” Marle jumped in at that point. “But wait; when we found you you were asleep!” The man nodded. “Yes, but that was out of boredom. With nothing to do here I felt it would be better to dream than to sit around and do nothing.”

Crono nudged Lucca, trying to get her to get back to the task at hand. “Huh? Oh, um, how do we get out of here?” The man tipped his hat again. “That, my dear, is easy.” He pointed back at the platform they had arrived at. “There are pillars of dancing light up there. When you step into them they will take you to whatever era they are connected to. There is a problem, however.” The genius closed her eyes and sighed heavily. “Of course, what is it?” “Well, you see only three people can wander through the portals at any one time. One of you is going to have to remain here.” Marle looked incredulous. “What, but it’s so bleak here!” The man shrugged. “It’s not too bad, but don’t worry, time doesn’t flow normally here so whoever remains won’t feel any time has passed unless they want to.” Lucca chimed in. “Hold on, what if three of us went through the gate and then were followed by the fourth?” The man shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry; all of you have left your proper time frames. You all now possess a residual energy from the vortex that links time periods and the gate can only anchor three of you at a time.”

Lucca started pacing around, trying to figure out a way around the problem. “But what if the three of us return to our own time?” The old man sighed. “It takes about six months for the residual energy to bleed away. You eventually do acclimatize yourselves to time periods, even ones that you may not be from, but it will take a long time to do so.” Marle scratched the back of her head. “Um, okay. But why were the four of us able to come here then?” The old man gestured to the void. “Because traveling through the portals strains time itself. If more than three pass through a gate they end up at a point where time can most absorb their presence; the place where time no longer exists.”

The four of them stood silent for a time, looking at each other. Marle was the first to speak “So who will it be?” Robo was the first to raise a hand. “I believe it would be appropriate for me to remain behind.” Crono appeared to relax at the android’s offer. “Despite Lucca’s efforts I am still in need of minor repairs to my circuitry. I believe I will be able to remedy the damage but only in a sterile environment.” Lucca stood right next to Robo and looked almost apologetically at the machine. “You’re sure?” Robo bowed its entire body in a way of a nod. “Yes, Lucca. I also believe one of the pillars on the platform leads to your era. Explaining my existence may be difficult for some to accept so I think it is advisable if you go on ahead to make sure everything is safe before I join you.” The genius tried to put on a smile but she was still visibly unhappy about the state of affairs.

Crono started walking towards the portals but the old man’s voice stopped her. “Hold on a second.” The redhead turned and looked at the old man, a bit worried about what he was going to say. “Before you go there’s someone you should talk to.” He pointed to a door that appeared to lead off into the void. “Go through there; he’ll be glad to see you.” Seeing that both Lucca and Marle were willing to humor the old man, Crono resigned herself to at least opening the door. When she did she found another room on the other side, much to her surprise. Even though the metal fencing appeared to be open and show a view of empty space beyond the other room was as solid as the one that held the old man. The swordswoman stepped inside and found herself in an empty space. She was joined by Marle and Lucca but couldn’t see anyone else in the small room. Crono took one step towards the exit so she could ask the old man what he was talking about but the wooden door slammed shut in front of her.

The violent action caused her to jump back and pull her sword while the other two were startled by the noise. After a moment of silence the swordswoman heard a throat clearing behind her and she spun around. For a second she saw empty space but then noticed a small green creature standing in front of her. The thing appeared to be some kind of frog that was standing like a human. It had its hands clasped behind its back and it stared at the redhead with unimpressed eyes. “A warrior, I see; this might be interesting. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Spekkio, the Master of War.” The frog spoke in a perfectly clear voice. “It’s not often I receive visitors, especially not since time ended. What brings you three here?” Marle pointed at the door. “The old man said to come in here.” Spekkio rolled his eyes. “Yes, I understand that. What bring you to the end of time?” The prince felt a bit foolish so she allowed Lucca to continue the conversation. “We came through a few timegates.”

The frog looked at the purple-haired girl. “Really? And how did you manage that?” Lucca shrugged. “I put a key together that would cause the special fissures to widen.” Spekkio seemed to blur for a moment and suddenly the gatekey was in its hand. “Ah, I see. Interesting….” Lucca was shocked to see the key had vanished from her satchel. “Hey, give that back!” Spekkio looked at her impassively. “Why?” The genius sputtered for an answer, allowing Marle to try and regain some of her dignity. “Because it’s ours, you can’t just steal from us.” The frog studied the key for a moment. “Yes I can. In fact, I did. The proof is right here.” Crono took a step towards the creature with her sword pointed at it. In response Spekkio snapped her head around to stare at the swordswoman. “Yes, I see I was right about you.” It blurred again and suddenly the key was gone. Lucca was about to yell out but felt a strange sensation and looked down to find the key in her hand. “Wha…?”

While the genius tried to figure out what had happened Spekkio was addressing Crono. “It appears you do have the determination necessary to save your world.” The redhead blinked in surprise, wondering how the creature knew what they wanted to do. “But you do not have the tools to accomplish your task. If you’ll allow me, I’ll show you how to use magic. It will be up to you to learn how to wield it properly but I can introduce you to the basic principles.” Lucca scoffed. “Oh come on, magic’s not real.” As the last word left her mouth the frog glowed and jabbed a hand in her direction. A bolt of lightning shot at the genius and launched her backwards into the wall behind. She fell to the floor and immediately thought that she was dead but managed to sit up after a second. She looked at herself, expecting to find a burn mark on her clothing but couldn’t find any sign of the attack. She ended up staring at Spekkio in wonder.

Crono had pulled her sword out and pointed it at the amphibian. The redhead eyed the creature but it just stared at Lucca before speaking. “And I suppose you’re going to tell me that was a hallucination?” The genius rose to a knee and tried to calm her heart but remained silent. Spekkio turned towards the swordswoman. “Oh put that away; you can’t harm me with physical weapons.” The creature waved dismissively at Crono. The redhead looked to Lucca, finding her not only stunned but surprisingly unhurt. With a sigh she sheathed her sword and waited for the frog to continue. “If you’re ready to listen I’m willing to teach you how to use magic. There are a few things you should know before we start, however.” The creature started pacing slowly. “First, each of you can only learn one kind of magic. It’s related to how your bodies are able to channel the forces of nature but I won’t get into it; you’re not smart enough to understand. Second…well, answer me this: do I look strong or weak to you?”

Marle didn’t want to insult their host, but after what he had done to Lucca she didn’t feel too upset about being honest. “You do look rather weak.” Spekkio didn’t look at the blonde directly but he nodded as he continued. “Hmmm, well you should know that the form I take is directly related to your strength; if I appear weak you are weak and vise-versa.” He stopped walked and turned to look at the three of them. “You do have great potential, however. I can sense an untapped well of spiritual energy in you three that may grow to rival my own power…that is if you pool your strengths. But enough talking. You!” Spekkio pointed at Crono and a bolt of lightning shot at the redhead. She flinched as it struck her but rather than sending her flying back it caused her body to glow with a yellow-while luminescence. The swordswoman looked at her hands and watched as the light died down and after she could feel a strange sensation. When she concentrated she was able to see the electricity around her in her mind and with a thought shot a bolt of lightning down into the ground.

Marle and Lucca were amazed by the display. Each was soon surrounded in their own halos of energy with Lucca’s being red and Marle’s blue. After a little experimentation the prince found she could now conjure ice while the genius was able to manifest flame from thin air. Spekkio seemed pleased. “I believe I was right about you three; it usually takes much longer for novices to understand how to use even the most basic spells. Before I let you leave I’ll need to test you, I can’t have you going out and making a mess of thing.” The frog assumed a battle pose and, while it looked a bit silly, the three humans followed suit.

At the start Crono was more concerned with just getting her magic to work, trying to concentrate enough to cause the lightning to appear. The first several strikes she made shot wildly, one almost hitting Lucca by accident. As a result Spekkio was able to take its time and progressively weaken each to the point where they were aching and sore from fighting off the effects of the non-lethal spells. With each of them on their back and sucking non-existent wind the frog just stood at the center of the room and waited. Once they had recovered the test was applied a second time, and a third and a fourth. The more she attempted to use her spells the better Crono felt she got about using magic. Eventually it got to the point where she didn’t even have to think about it at all; all she had to do was will the lightning to strike and it did. Once that happened she was able to try and direct it more effectively.

The other two were a bit slower on the uptake but soon enough Spekkio was dodging spells fired by all three of its opponents. Lucca cheered the first time she was able to hit the creature but found herself becoming too tired to stand and the three had to start over once again. It took a few more attempts but eventually they were alternating bolts of fire, ice and lightning at the frog, impacting the small figure time and again until everything seemed to stop and their magic hung frozen in the air. With a wave of its hand Spekkio dismissed the stalled spells and clasped its hands behind its back once again. “Good. I think you have enough command of the magic to not embarrass yourselves. I think you’ll be needing this, however.” The creature stepped forward and held out a small stone tablet. Crono accepted it and looked at the strange scrawling before staring at Spekkio with an expression of confusion. “It’s a magic tablet from a long-extinct civilization. Just concentrate and it should give you a small boost to your magical ability.” Crono closed her eyes and focused on the item, trying to think at it like she did when she summoned the lightning and suddenly she jumped in surprise from a mental jolt. When she opened her eyes and looked at the tablet she found that all the writing had vanished and the think just appeared to be a roughly-hewn piece of rock.

Spekkio drew her attention when it began to speak. “Now I believe you should be running along. Oh, and if you find anyone else crazy enough to join your cause you can send them my way.” Lucca became a bit excited. “Really, what about Robo?” She began to make her way towards the door but was halted by the frog’s voice. “If you mean the machine that followed you here; that won’t happen. To command and channel magic you must do so by harnessing the power inherent in nature. A construct, of any kind, has no connection.” Lucca was disappointed by that news. “Oh.” Crono wrapped and arm around the genius’ shoulder and gave her a small hug. The redhead gave a smirk and motioned with her head for them to head back to the old man’s area. Lucca returned a weak smile and let Crono lead her out.

As they stepped through the door Robo was still standing in the same place it had been when they left. “Hello Lucca, did you forget something.” A frown crossed the genius’ face. “Huh? What are you talking about?” Robo’s eyes ‘blinked’ in response. “I assume you forget to take something with you; you were only in the other room for 14.6 seconds.” Crono and Lucca turned to each other, seeing that both were bewildered by Robo’s statement. “Uh, Robo. We were in there for several hours.” Robo ‘blinked’ again. “That is strange. My internal chronometer must be faulty. I shall have to adjust it.” The old man began to chuckle. “How soon we forget; I told you time doesn’t pass here. How you perceive the passage of time depends entirely on you. If you want ‘time’ to slow down it can.” Marle placed her face in both hands. “Ugh. Please, can we get out of here now? This place is going to make my head explode.” Crono nodded and started walking to the portals on the other platform.

The redhead stood with a hand on her sword hilt, staring at the dancing pillars in front of her. Each of them looked identical to the others. It was impossible to tell them apart and, consequently, where they would lead to. Once the other two joined her she placed a hand over one of them and slowly lowered it until she touched the light. A flash of images shot into her mind and she could see a ruined landscape full of dead trees and crumbling buildings. Crono yanked her hand back and the scene vanished from her mind. She rubbed her hand as if it had been stung. Marle stepped to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, are you alright?” Crono stared off into the distance but nodded. The imagery was strange and shocked her with how vivid it had been but she wasn’t harmed by it. The swordswoman shook off the effects and walked to another pillar, placing a hand in it and seeing something far more familiar to her. She didn’t recognize the town but the buildings and clothes she could gave her no doubt that she had found her time period. She stepped into the pillar and after a brief flash found herself flying through time once again.

The next time Crono stood on solid ground she found herself surrounded by four wooden walls. The space was filled with furniture and possessions to the point where it was obvious she had been transported into someone’s house. Once she was joined by Lucca and Marle the redhead noticed a bed in one corner of the place. On the mattress were two naked imps that had probably been having sex until they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of three humans. “What do you want?” The green one cried out, trying to cover itself with a sheet. Marle looked over at them and blushed in embarrassment that she had intruded on their privacy. “Oh, sorry. We didn’t mean to bother you.” The blue one stood up on the bed, aiming a rather small yet erect penis in their direction. “Well then what the hell are you doing in our house!?” Lucca pointed at the cabinet behind her. “There’s a temporal rift in your pantry; we came through it.” The nude one crossed his arms. “What?” Lucca stepped to the side and activated the gatekey. With a bang the cupboard doors flew open and a gate appeared. The blue imp gaped at the portal and slowly raised a finger to point at it. “W…w…what’s that?” Lucca waited for the rift to close on its own before answering. “It’s a timegate. You can use it to travel through time.”

The imp’s legs wobbled and gave out, plopping the blue guy down on his bed. “And that’s in my house?” Lucca shrugged. “I guess.” Crono tugged on her sleeve and motioned to the door. “Anyway, we need to be heading home.” They took a few steps towards the door before the green one spoke up. “Wait, it’s not dangerous is it?” The genius looked back at the pair. “It shouldn’t be, and don’t worry, it won’t open without one of these.” She held up the gate key for the two to see. The green one nodded. “Okay. Hey, you guys might want to leave town quickly. If Ozzie and his gang find out three humans are around they might come after you.” Marle nodded. “Thanks, do you know how we can get back to Truce?” With the blue one still staring at the cabinet the green imp was left to answer. “No, but Melchior on the western cape might. Just leave town going south and follow the coast until you see his house, it’s right next to the cave. Crono waved at the imp before heading out the door.

Out in the open the trio stood with a green field of grass stretching out before them. Marle closed her eyes and lifted her face to let the sun warm it. Lucca held back tears when she saw a flock of birds flying through the air. Crono could feel the gentle breeze on the wind and smiled when a stray lock of red hair was blown across her face. She pushed it back behind an ear before looking at the other two. The prince had a serene expression, one of absolute contentment. Lucca took a deep breath in through her nose before breaking the silence. “Oh it’s so good to be home.” Crono’s smile broadened and Marle stretched her arms high above her head, making fists before splaying her fingers out as wide as she could. “Hmmm, come on, we’re not home just yet.” She headed off away from the town.

It took several hours for them to arrive at the western edge of the continent but none of them objected to the journey. Crono and Marle exchanged furtive glances throughout the entire trek, wondering if they could convince Lucca to stop and have a siesta in the grass but decided it would probably be best to wait until they were back in Truce to further their relationship. There was a small mountain range on the northern edge of the cape that rose in the distance. At its foot they could make out a small, solitary house. The green, pointed roof had a stream of white smoke trailing off into the distance, giving them hope that the weapon smith was home.

Crono knocked on the front door and heard a voice call out from inside. A short time later the bearded metallurgist stood in front of them with a bemused smile. “Well hello, it’s not very often I receive visitors at my home. Is there something I can help you with?” Lucca nodded. “Yes, actually, we’re trying to get back to Truce and we were wondering if you knew a way to get there.” Melchior bright a hand up to stroke his beard. “Oh, dear. I’m afraid I do but it would take quite a while. I usually sent a carrier pigeon to a fisherman in Porre and he drops by to take me to the western continent. Unfortunately he’s going to be out on the sea for the next several weeks to catch the migrating schools. That’s why I’m here, you see, I would have liked to remain at the Millennial Fair but he’s the only one willing to give me and my wares a lift.”

Crono’s head sunk in disappointment. Marle looked at the old man with a pained expression. “You mean there’s no other way of getting home?” Melchior looked at the prince before lifting his eyes up and tilting his head to think. “Well…I suppose you could try to go through the cave to the north. It was once used as a path for the mystics to raid the Guardia Kingdom during the Mystic War.” The redhead perked up at his suggestion. “However, it would probably be a bit dangerous now. The last I heard the tunnels are the hiding place of the mystic tribe that refused to surrender. I haven’t seen any of them myself but I’ve heard some of the Medinans talk about the savages when I go to town to trade.” Marle looked at the stern faces her two friends possessed. “I think we’re willing to risk it.” Melchior shrugged. “They could be fairytales, but just to be on the safe side you should probably take a look at my supplies. You can take anything you need, just pay me for what they’re worth and I’ll replace them the next time I head to town.”

They thanked Melchior for his hospitality, grabbing mostly dried and salted food that had a much more palatable taste than the provisions they had collected from the ruined future. Seeing as he was a master smith Crono and Marle were able to replace the mostly ceremonial weapons they carried with hardened and battle-ready arms. The swordswoman was especially pleased with the katana she found, finally having a properly balanced and sharpened blade for the first time since she lost her equipment to the jailers. Lucca wasn’t able to find anything better than her repeating gun, but the armor that Melchior had in stock was a great improvement over the thin but warm clothing they carried with them. Once they were ready the trio said their goodbyes to the old man and headed to north, hoping that they would soon be home.

Almost there

I'm very close to releasing the game. The semester has started so my spare time is going to be a bit more limited. I'm not stopping but updates on things will become less frequent (no more weekly chapter posts) On the plus side this is my last semester so the slowdown will last only through December at the latest.

I'll keep you in the loop.

Chapter 7 Preview

Factory Work

As Crono and Lucca set out with Robo the swordswoman allowed the android to take point. While it was true that the robot was the one who knew the way to the factory and would be best suited to lead the redhead still didn’t trust it. She was much more comfortable being able to keep an eye on it throughout their trip no matter what Lucca said. The machine walked on in silence for the first hour before Lucca started asking about the plant. Robo was more than willing to give her an entire history of not only the facility but the industrial applications of its work and the technological advanced that made it possible. Crono was bored to tears by their conversation but the genius found the remainder of their trek passing quickly.

Unlike the domes they had seen the factory was a conglomeration of massive tanks and piping that led all over the place. At first glance it appeared to be in as bad a shape as any other structure Crono had seen before but as they drew near she could see that everything still seemed to be in working order, it was just incredibly ugly. Robo took them around to the entrance and immediately went over to a console. Lucca stared at the monitor above with rapt attention, trying to soak in all the information. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would learn half the things that Robo had told her. She was trying to cram 1,000 years’ worth of scientific achievement into her brain as fast as she could. The genius expected to be leaving this time period soon and didn’t expect to be back. The figures and charts that appeared and vanished on the screen fascinated the purple-haired girl but ended too soon for her liking.

Robo shut down the computer and turned to her two companions. “The facility is running on emergency power but the power plant doesn’t seem to be damaged, only shut down. We’ll need to go to the sub-basement to reactivate it and then test the power lines to ensure that the power is being received by the Proto Dome.” Lucca nodded and urged Robo to show her as much of the facility as it could. The android began by giving Lucca a brief tour of the manufacturing floor, showing her the place where the robots and drones were put together. The genius asked if Robo had been made in such a place but the machine couldn’t answer her, saying that its memory banks were missing the relevant information. The two were ready to set off and see more of the factory but Crono reminded them that Marle was waiting back at the Dome.

Due to the emergency power the elevators weren’t working and Robo was forced to lead them through a series of stairs down to the sub-basement. The first level was silent and empty, allowing the redhead to listen to her footsteps echo through the creepy corridors. The second level, however, was decidedly different. From the base of the stairs to as far as Robo’s searchlight could find the area was plastered with puddles of liquid. The walls had patches of slime leaking down and every so often a drop of something could be seen falling from the ceiling. The three did their best to step around the pools but eventually they were forced to walk through the muck or turn back. As soon as Crono’s boot touched the fluid it surged upwards into a gelatinous dome.

The sudden reaction shocked the three of them, causing the two humans to pull out their weapons. The goo rose up into domed form about knee-high, but soon had several flailing tentacles sticking out from its surface. The dark green mass was soon joined by several other puddles, some the same shade, others a more red hue. One of them neared Crono enough for the redhead to slash at it with her sword. The blade sunk into the creature with a satisfying slash, but as the swordswoman pulled her weapon back she didn’t see any injury apparent. Lucca, too, found that her bullets passed through the slimes with no apparent damage caused. The wounds their two weapons inflicted seemed to close almost immediately. Robo was having difficulty as well; the machine attempted to smash the fluid things with its fists but only served to get its arms stuck in the liquid bodies. When Robo tried to remove the creatures from its arms it found that the monsters were creeping into its body through the small gaps in its armor, gumming up its servos and slowing to down considerably.

Crono and Lucca were having their own issues avoiding the slimes. Lucca had accidentally stepped in one of them and was now trying to pull her leg out of its bulk but could get no traction against the goo that seemed to be entire liquid but gripped her leg at the same time. As the mass of red surged up her leg she beat at it with her hands, futilely trying to fend it off. Meanwhile, Crono had become cornered by three of the piles, slashing at them with her sword to hold them off but slowly losing the battle. When one of them grabbed at her foot and pulled the redhead lost her balance and tumbled chest-first onto one of the blobs. Its tentacles reached out and held onto her, pressing her arms to her sides. Crono strained her head back, trying to break the grip but finding it impossible to move at all.

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