Chapter XI: Beyond the Ruins

This time Crono relaxed as he and Lucca and Marle soared through
the void. The psychedelic tornado consumed them. Waves of colour
and blackness shifted about them. Crono was able to make out more
of his body. The North Wind whistled as loud as it had the past
couple times, although to him it seemed to be a gentle, almost
welcoming sound to him.
Lucca looked about her as they flew through the emptyness. She
took in the flight like a child in a carnival. It was an experience Lucca
could never get enough of. She thought it was the greatest thing, and
she also felt a bit responsible for it, although Lucca did realize it was
already there. Lucca saw herself more of a discoverer, but she loved
it nonetheless.
Crono flet Marle take his hand again. She gripped it very tightly, and
he felt a certain bitterness in her touch. Crono looked back at her,
and noticed a certain moisture in her gaze. He wished to console her,
but realized he would have nothing to say, nor was able to as they
soared.
Marle was still livid over the entire past confrontation. How could her
father be so callous towards her? How could he allow the Chancellor
to run roughshod over her and Crono like he did? Didn't they realize
how unfair, and wrong they were? Wherever they were headed, she
was glad to be there.
A deep blackness approached, deeper and blacker than a winter's
midnight. It pushed out all of the swirling colours, and hit them like a
sudden rushing gale. A seed of light formed in the heart of the
blackness. It germinated, and spread forth purging the darkness out.
In the center of the light, a tear opened, and they were able to see
their destination.
The void spat them out and they stood upon terra firma again.
Lucca looked about at their surroundings. They stood in a cavernous
empty room, dark, musty and humid. It reaked of cobwebs and
mothballs. The air was stale and stagnant like a sarcophougus, nearly
making them joke. If Crono had anything in his stomache, he would
have expelled it. The walls were grey and crafted from a thick metal,
which was plagued with rust like boils on a leper. They heard the
skittering of rats and roaches, the only type of life which would
thrive in that room.

'Yeouch!' Lucca jerked her leg up, swaring something just bit her. 'Where are we? What is this place?' inquired Lucca.
'I don't know, but the Chancellor won't follow us here, no way!' stated Marle
Crono realized how irate she was with that sentance.
'But just where are we?' asked Marle
'It's like we're in another world, this looks so far beyond our own age.' stated Lucca.
Crono shrugged. 'Maybe if we took a look outside.' He recommended
Their feet echoed like the beat of a snare drum as they walked to the door. Directly behind them was a door. It was stark and cold. A demon's head adorned the front of it, serving as a sentinel to ward off any on-comers. Crono approached it, sword in hand. HE looked at it, trying to find a way to open it, but found none.
He kicked it, and rammed it, which succeded in nothing but giving him a sore heel and shoulder.
'No good it won't budge.'
'I guess we try and find another door.' reccomemed Marle.
The looked about the room for an exit. A slight breeze played through Marle's scarlet pony tail. 'I feel a draft.' stated she. 'Let's follow it.'
THey came to an opening in the dome, part of it was sealed off by fallen debris, but they saw an opening nonetheless. The three laboured furiously to clear it.
When a viable opening was breeched, They were nearly blown back by a savage wind. It hurled a harsh frigid air, and stinging sediment. They dashed back in immedately, like serpents frightened by daylight. Crono turned about, gasping for air, although taking in the air in the room was not a good idea, as his head began to swirl.
'We can't go out in that!' protested Lucca.
'What choise do we have? I don't wanna stay in this place. WE can't stay here!' countered Marle.
'WE've gotta move. There's nothing for us here.' Crono took off his jerkin and gave it to Marle. 'You'll need this.'
'Will you be okay?'
'I'll be fine. If you're all ready, we need to go.'
Marle and Lucca affirmed and they entered into the unfriendly outside. From the door lay a faint naked path. They walked upon it heads down as The wind beat upon them with a furious rage. It was as bitter as old sour whiskey and merciliess as prison warden. It threw upon them wave after wave of bone chilling air, and bullets of sand and sediment. Crono surveyed the landscape. It was as barren and desolate as a graveyard. Bones of old buildings lay strewn upon the ground like branches left in the wake of a tornado. The land was parched and bare; rotting like the caracass of a beast in the desert heat.
There lay no sign of life, not a plant, flower, or even moss or mold. No squirrel or ant or roach crossed the path. No bird traveresed the sky. The skies themselves were dark immeresed in clouds, and bore the hue of sour milk. Only faint strands light penetrated onto the ground below. Seeing the the land was an absolute eyesore. Their path continued for what seemed like years. Lucca felt her heart sink deeper and deeper the longer she looked upon their surroundings. Marle lost sight of the problems she had with her father as she walked upon the windswept wasteland.
'Where are we, nd what happened here? This is awful' mused Marle
The path took them to what used to be a sprawling macropolis. What was once anurban jewel looked like a city of children's building blocks scattered about a floor. It was a city that was nothing more than fallen towers, sunken streets, crushed complexes, shattered houses and torn landscape. A humid canopy of polluted clouds hung above the ruins, dulling and buffering the sever cutting winds. Where once millions of people walked, talked, lived, and breathed, was now a playground for rats and several other hideous creatures that lurked in the shadows.
The ruins formed a concrete canyon pass for them to work through. The pass it self was filled with broken houses, ruined buildings which was quite difficult to navigate. The pass was by no means straight, they found it to be as convoluted as a labrynth. Crono Marle and Lucca waded through the city like a ship crossing tempest ridden sea. They climbed over stones, crouched beneath fallen arches, and through empty streets. Lucca kept her hand upon her holstered pistol realizing this was a haven for scavengers, and they were open bait.
They heard the roaring and rustling of monsters to their left. The three stopped, and drew their weapons. When nothing more came, they turned only to find a posse of five creatures standing before them. THree of the creatures were octopi that came up to their stomaches, I was told they were called octopods. Their tentacles writhed meanacingly upon the ground, like the whip tails of a prison warden. The other two were bi-pedal avian creatures as large as the three of them called man-eaters. Their bills were like scythe blades, and concealed saliva wet fangs. Upon the ends of their wings were talons, ragged and vicious like teeth of a worn saw.

Marle and Lucca plugged the man-eaters, as the octopods convereged upon Crono. He lunged at the first one, running it through. One leapt upon him, wrapping it's tendrils about his head. Crono found he was unable to drew air, and felt it's slimy ooze seep onto him. He flailed his sword to stave off the others, grabbed it's side, and plunged his sword into it. IT tensed, gripping him faster. Crono felt his pulse nearly snap his jugular out of his neck. Crono tore the creature off, and sucked in the air ravenously
He regained himself to find the other creatures were being taken care of. Lucca popped one, and as she reloaded Marle stuck the remaining man-eaters. Lucca reloaded in time to pop the final octopod.
The three regrouped and began again. They were a good 100 yards beyond when Lucca felt a slimy tendril snake out of the rubble and coil about her ankle's bringing her down. She hit the ground, knocking the glasses from her nose. She turned her head to see a large monster burst from under the heavy stone debris, tossing it out like childrens toys.
To call it a monster was quite a mis-statement. It was as large as a van, had a round, stout, muscular body, with horns protruding from it's elbows and shoulders. It stood upon four tendrils, about 6 feet long and thick and strong as cables. It had no arms or neck to speak of, but a large head, upon which were two basketball sized glassy, glazed over eyes. Just beneath those was a bill, like a chisel. Saliva dripped from it, splashing upon the ground.
Lucca winced at it's grasp. She drew her mallett and swung away, gauging her swings based off of what she felt. Marle sent as many bolts as she could into it. It absorbed them like a sponge. Crono took off in a dead sprint. He angled towards his left spying a pile of rubble. He ran up it, and launched himself from it, sailing like a hornet, sword cocked back. With a resolute stroke, Crono cut himself a place to land his feet. He clung to it, and flailed away. It bucked and romped about like a rampaging bull.
Crono was sent flying. He landed upon a pile of rubble, throwing up a cloud of dust. Crono felt as though Yakra had just chewed him up. Marle fired off more bolts. Lucca was able to reload and sink a bullet between it's eyes. It's grasp tightened upon her, and went slack. She wiggled through and searched about for her lenses.

'Here you go' said Marle handing them over. 'You okay?'
'I'll be fine, thanks.' She cleaned herself off as best as she could. 'Crono you alright?!' she shouted in no particular direction.
A pile of rubble replied. 'I'm fine!' He pulled himself free, and they regrouped. 'We need to get out of here!'
'That's the first sensible thing you've ever said.' Chided Lucca.
'Keep it up and I'll let the next monster keep you.'
'That's fine. Marle will save me!'
They continued through the ruined city at a swift, yet cautious pace. Swift enough to avoid more confrontations, yet cautious enough to not fall into any. As they walked Lucca felt her quadricep tangle into a sheepshank. Marle counted nails press themselves into her soles. Crono's throat became lined with rough, gritty sandpaper. It became extremely taxing to maintain a constant pace, and level awareness.
They decided to rest. Marle and Lucca rested upon a mound of debris, as Crono stayed alert.
Crono thought about where he was. He then thought back to where he came from. He wasn't rotting in jail, waiting to be executed, instead he was a meal for some monstrous miscreation in the desolate barrens of God only knows where. Somehow, he laughed in spite of himself. If he were to die, it'd be at least on his own terms.
A day of surprises indeed
What more was left for him to experience?
Having sufficently rested, Marle and Lucca became alert, and Crono took a respite.
Marle looked about at her. She was lost in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a mulitude of lurking, hungry, hideous creatures. She was being led by people she had known for 30 hours maybe. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she wouldn't be going back to the palace. And that was all that mattered.
Had Lucca not been running for her life, she would have loved to have been able to dig around and see what she could find. She wished she had time to take notes over all she'd seen, heard, felt up to that moment. Lucca tried to take in what she could. She wondered where they were, and what all happened to their location. Lucca could tell it was far advanced from their own time, yet somehow had been broken. She doubted she'd ever have a learning experience such as she was going through, but the day was far from over.
The three began again to work through the remains of the once great city. Where they saw a creature in the open, they avoided it. THe party could ill afford to be in another confrontation. Luckily they were not, and eventually, came to the city limits.
When they exited, they were blasted again by the cold savage wind. Crono, Marle and Lucca clung together as swiftly as they could, and walked through the assault. Remaining together was far too difficult, and they were soon seperated. Crono was a few yards ahead, Marle and Lucca did their best to keep pace. They cought up, and clung together again.

Crono raised his arms before him to shield his face as he looked up ahead. Looming over the horizon Crono was able to make out a large edifice. It was as massive as a high school gymnasium, and domed. It lay like a dying soldier in a battlefield; broken, battered, devestaded and abandoned in the parched blades for the scavangers. The dome looked like a car left in the junkyard.
'Up ahead!' shouted Crono. 'Do you see it?!'
'What?!' replied Lucca. 'What is it?'
'A building!' It looked a hundred miles away.
'Yes!' cried Marle. 'There! I see it!'
'Come on!' Crono began to run. Marle and Lucca followed suit. The hard, bare ground was difficult upon Lucca's knees. It pounded upon her like a prisoner hammering a rock. Marle found herself short of breath as she ran. Her chest and ribs grew hot as with each step. Crono lost count of the times his face hit the ground. He spat the dirt from his cotton mouth, and kept running.
The more they ran, the harder the wind blew upon them. With all of its furious might, it launched crushing air and cutting sediments upon them. Their once dead sprint had become a slow trudge. The three huddled together, and shoulder to shoulder walked through the assaulting, aggressive, punishing wind.
Crono's hands slipped from the door when he first tried to open it. He banged on it, but was lost in the massive structure. Again, it took all three of them to open it. Crono attempted to wedge his sword in, but could not find a suitable notch. Lucca pounded it with her mallett, denting it enough to give Crono a place to wedge his sword. With all three pushing upon it, the door opened.
All three stumbled in. Crono was very impressed that his sword was not broken. Marle leaned upon the wall, voraciously taking in air. Lucca was down on a knee, massaging her knees.
'Everyone make it alright?' queried Crono.
'I'll be better once I get something in my stomache.' commented Marle.
'Yeah, I'm fine. But Marle's right.'
This structure was much the same as the one they came from, only larger. The air was rancid and stale, and carried the scent of rust and must. The shadows which immeresed them were thick and deep. They heard a serise of urgent, yet cautious footsteps.

'Who goes there!?' ordered an older voice from the other side of a wall. The man attempted to sound firm, but they were able to detect a large amount of fear. 'Speak now! Tell me!'
'Calm down' replied Crono. 'We're just travelers.'
'Travelers?!' Crono may as well said they came from Mars. 'No one travels nowadays! Come where I can see you.'
'Should we?' asked Lucca.
'Yeah. Just be ready.'
Marle and Lucca both grasped their weapons. The three of them came about the wall. Marle wondered what awaited them. The man's voice held a feigned strength, and resonated with a dreadful tension. She could hear his heavy, legatto breathing, and the sweat dropping from this brow onto the floor.
Her heart sank upon seeing him. The man who confronted them, was a pale ghost of man. He was as thin as a twig, bones protruding all over. The beating of his heart could be seen throughout his entire frame. He was dressed in tattered soiled rags, and held a light and length of pipe which was thicker than both his arms, and heavier than him as well. His eyes were heavy and sunken, and had the look of a lost child within.
'What are yall doing here?'
Marle repiled, 'We're just travelers. We're just need a place to rest, and something to eat.'
'Eat? If you want food you're S-O-L. I guess yall aint gonna kill me so Come on. Follow me.'
They followed the man to central chamber where a few people resided. The poeple looked like a field or withered, wilting, slumping crops in a famine beset field; much the same as the man did. Seeing them one would be reminded of a prison camp during war, or the survivors of a plauge. They were a herat-rendingly pathetic, dishevled, devestated lot.
An old man spoke up. 'So. How can I help you?'

End Chapter