Chrono Trigger: Dare Chapter 4

Giants

By Crono_12

It hovered in front of me, looking down at us with an expressionless face. This giant, however, was unlike any I had ever heard of. This was a woman. She was dressed in a very revealing skin-tight outfit. Almost like a swimsuit, it covered the bare minimum. The color, an ice cold blue, matched her skin. Her off-white hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and seemed to be encased in a thin layer of frost. Still, she was menacing in a way that I couldn’t put my finger on. In the next second, I needed no feelings to tell me she was dangerous; the suddenly increase in wind and drop in temperature around me confirmed, albeit painfully, that she had cast a powerful ice spell. I think the shock hurt me more than the cold, though. The ice spread all over my body; I began feeling drowsy. Fighting the urge to sleep, I looked at Marle, who, if it weren’t for the brutal breeze acompanying the cold, seemed to be unaffected. A few seconds later, the barrage of ice ceased and Marle clutched me to her. Simply feeling her close to me warmed every fibre of my body; knowing that she had cast a curing spell on me helped even more.

"You ok, Crono?" She asked. By then, I had warmed up enough to stop shaking. In contrast to the fact that she was an ice user, Marle was always unusually warm, both physically and emotionally.

"Yeah, thanks," I said. She gave me an extra squeeze, brushed my hair out of my face, kissed me, then let go.

"Looks like someone wants to keep us away from something," she noted as she headed toward the house. I nodded and followed her, keeping my eyes and ears as alert as possible. Suddenly, I heard a scraping sound, like something heavy being dragged over a tile floor. And then nothing. Under normal circumstances, I would be half willing to rationalize the noise, ignore it, but now, my ears told me something was very wrong.

Dead silence is a strange sound. No matter how much we always wish for some peace and quiet, absolute quiet is unsettling. But when a noise interrupts the silence, especially an unnatural noise, the feeling is amplified greatly. So I had a right to be unsettled, especially after being attacked by a strange giant. Near the door to the house, I could have sworn the world was dead.

Infront of us, the door to the house dared us to come in. I looked towards Marle, my eyes asked for permission. Her eyes granted it. I backed up, then launched a lightning bolt at the door. It was another skill I had picked up over the past five years. The lightning did no damage and left no mark, proving my theory. The door was a made of elemental proof material. I drew my sword and lovingly ran my finger along the flat of the blade. Five years ago Melchior the swordsmith forged the sword out of two magically powerful materials, imbuing the sword with the ability to reflect some elemental spells. The edge itself was thinner than a razor and capable of piercing any type of barrier, physical or magical; simply drawing the edge, however lightly, against skin drew blood. I brought my sword to bear against the hinges of the door, bringing it down with a crash. I sheathed the Rainbow Sword, checked the inside quickly, and, seeing no danger, motioned for Marle to enter before me. She smiled, then passed through the threshold.

The inside of the half-burned house was bare except for a few chairs, a table, and a small thing that looked like a toilet at the far end. I looked around, searching for the people who caused the noise I had heard. There wasn’t even a trace of any life in the room, save an unknown insect crawling past my foot. I thought it strange that even here, in the midst of all the wreckage, and insect could still live and go about unscathed. Too strange. I followed the bug with my eyes, and watched it go to the far end of the room. I walked after it, Marle following me, then scoured the ground for the insect. It had vanished. I bent down and rapped the ground with my knuckles. A sound of solid wood greeted me. I tried another area. Still solid wood. I then knocked on the wall, and heard what I was looking for; a hollow sound. Glancing down, I found the insect’s escape route, confirming my discovery. I unsheathed my sword and cut an outline of a door in the wood. I pushed the makeshift door inward. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I smiled, thinking I had killed the insect.

I burst through, my sword drawn and expecting a fight. Instead, I found four unarmed people staring back at me. They looked among themselves, and then one of them started casting some type of magic. I got ready to dodge or parry it, but I was completely unprepared for what happened. Another giant appeared out of nowhere and struck the ground with his fists. Suddenly, the earth gave way from under me, and I just barely avoided falling into the forming pit by grabbing the edge of the floorboards. I looked down and saw an infinite, oily blackness. Just then, the familiar low rumbling sound hit my ears, and before I knew it, the giant ice woman appeared and cast her spell. The chill was getting to my fingers, and in an instant, I had let go, falling down into a bottomless pit. As I fell, I heard the resounding laughter die out in my ears.

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Chapter 5

Chrono Trigger Fanfic