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.

The full chapter is available on my Patreon page.

Game News

Very soon I will be releasing something for all of you who have been waiting far too long. I don't know exactly when it will be ready but it won't be too far off.

Papers

I have a few papers due in the next week or so so I won't have much free time. I have no idea how long it will take but they're due at the end of next week so I'll at least be able to start working again then.

I'll let you know if things change.

Chapter 6 Preview

Chapter 6

Forward to History

Now that they were recognized by the computer system the trio was able to walk around the central area unmolested. The computer AI even helped them find cashes of clothing, supplies and weapons to outfit themselves for their journey to the Proto Dome. While Lucca had a field day selecting her firearms Crono and Marle were a little more restricted in their choices. Marle ended up keeping the cross bow she had received at the Bangor Dome but Crono found a museum piece tucked away at the back of storage bay; an ancient (for the 24^th-century) samurai sword in impeccable condition. The blade was far more her style than the medieval broadsword she had been carrying around. As soon as she tried a few practice swings the redhead knew she’d have a much easier time with this weapon.

Marle had been feeling strange ever since she had woken up from their capture by the robots but had though it was because of whatever they had shot her with. Several hours later she still had an odd sensation in her stomach and asked Crono and Lucca if they felt the same way. Neither admitted to any lasting effects tough Lucca said she was feeling much better now that both the plant and insect goo that had been forced into her had been removed. The prince tried to put the strangeness out of her mind and focused on getting ready for the journey ahead.

As they headed back to the ladder that took them to the ground floor each of them had a pack slung over their shoulders full of enough food and camping supplies to last several weeks. The trip was only supposed to last a few days (a week at most) but there was no telling what kind of obstructions they would come across. When her head popped through the opening in the floor Crono saw a gathering of people crowd around her, waiting for something to happen. She climbed out of the hole and helped her friends out so Lucca could address the crowd. “We were able to get to the central computer and find what we were looking for.” A voice called out from somewhere behind the mass of unwashed bodies. “Who cares, do you have any food?”

Lucca looked at Crono, unsure if she should let them know about the supplies they had for their trip.

Crono bit her lip but an idea came to her and she fished out the bag of seeds they head found on the dead body earlier. She handed it to Lucca who turned back to the crowd. “I’m sorry to say, but the woman who went down before was injured and died. She made it to the refrigerator but it wouldn’t have mattered if she came back or not because the machine was broken and all the food is spoiled.” The throng of people seemed to deflate all as one. “But, we did find something you might be able to use.” She opened the pouch and showed the contents to a few people at the front. Doan stepped forward and reached in, pulling out a few seeds. “What are we supposed to do with this?” Lucca handed the old woman the bag. “Plant them.” When Doan gave her an incredulous look Marle chimed in enthusiastically. “Hey, you girls never know how long the Enertron will last. This may be your only way to get food.” Doan looked at the blonde then back at the seeds in her hand. “Well…I suppose.”

Someone standing next to Doan spoke. “We could try to use the purifier on some of the dirt outside.” Another voice offered a suggestion. “We might be able to rig up some lamps to use since the clouds are too thick.” “But what about water?” a more distant voice asked. It was a moment before the first person spoke again. “Well, if the purifier works on the soil it should be able to clean any water we find.” The bout of optimism seemed to be infectious, flowing through the community and causing each individual to have a glimmer of hope well up inside them. With groups of people congregating together and talking about what they needed to do Crono, Marle and Lucca quietly made their way to the exit. Just before they left Doan caught up with them and thanked them for what they had done. “In all my years I’ve never seen this many people excited about anything. I don’t know if this will work but you’ve given us something to live for. Thank you.” Marle had to fight back a few tears, simply nodding to Doan as she left.

Out in the open they relied on Lucca’s memory of the land and followed the genius as she led the way. It wasn’t long before they had set up camp; having spent most of the day in the dome the light was all but gone within an hour. Marle asked why they didn’t take shelter back at the dome with Lucca answering that she didn’t want to risk having any of them finding out they had food on them. The prince reluctantly agreed with her choice, helping set up an emergency tent as their shelter for the night. Crono found the nylon canopy oddly roomy and sturdy even against the howling wind of the night. When they crawled in to bed down the three of them stripped down and huddled together under several layers of blankets.

Ordinarily this would have been a perfect time to enjoy each other’s company but with what had happened to them in the Arris Dome they all were a bit too tired and sore to do much more than lay there. Marle did manage to slip one of Crono’s nipples between her lips and drink a late-night snack from the redhead’s breast. Crono looked down lovingly at the prince as she suckled and hoped that the two of them could be together like this forever. She closed her eyes and let the gentle pressure on her huge tit flow over her as she slipped into a dream.

They woke up sometime after dawn. After packing up the tent and eating a small breakfast (washed down with a bit of breastmilk) the trio was back on the road, heading north to another set of ruins. The desolate landscape remained unchanged for the several hours it served as their backdrop. Lucca wondered if it was at all possible for the people back at the dome to get the crops to grow. With the cloud cover Crono couldn’t tell when it was that they reached the outskirts of the eastern ruins but it was after about four hours of walking.

The full chapter is available on my Patreon page.