The Shadows Chapter 26
The Wizards Abode
By Keith Adams
Introduction:
The rest of CT:TS shall be carried out here, on agfn, home of the AGFF underground. Anyone with a good guess on the identity of the High/Lord Shadow whom Magus fought in Chapter 19 will be entertained. Yes, this Chapter is shorter than usual.
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Crono felt pressure building up on him, the forces of acceleration, the relentless, implacable, unbreakable laws of motion tearing at his face, gluing him to the chair, as the Epoch accelerated, faster than the eye could see, approaching the speed in which ......
There was a flash of light, and the forces pulling at him now seemed to be pushing. Crono looked out the clear covering of the Epoch; they, that is, he and Lucca, were over a small island, covered in snow, a pristine frost. Lucca manuevered the Epoch closer to a mountain looming in the distance, lowering them to the level of treetops, skimming over them, as they saw a small door at the summit of the mountain. Lucca landed the Epoch effortlessly in the snow by the door.
The covering of the Epoch, and he and Lucca got out. Lucca had lost her helmet somewhere; her purplish hair hung down to her shoulders, and she smiled, pushing her glasses upwards. The sun was overhead, but dampned, concealed, by grayish clouds.
"Where are we Lucca? Where be we?" Crono asked.
"We be at Magus' home," said Lucca, the right part of her lip extending backwards towards her ear.
"And how do you know this is Magus' home?" queried Crono.
"He told me, shortly before he left, in case I needed to find."
"And you need to find the self righteous jerk - why exactly?"
"Because he's an extremely knowledgable jerk. If anyone can beat the Shadows - truly beat them, once and for all, it's him. I know it."
Crono rolled his eyes but followed Lucca into Magus' small cave, which had a crate of various odds and ends in the center, dumped there rather unceremoniously. There was what looked to be a computer in front of the crate; it had a greenish screen and one slot with something bluish in it.
Lucca wandered over to the computer mesmerized; felt around it; there was suddenly a sharp crackle of electricity. The computer came on, revealing schematics of what looked like an Epoch, save it was longer had extended wings, with guns of some sort on the underside. Various messages flashed by on lines connecting to the Epoch blueprints.
"What is it?" asked Crono.
"It's blueprints for an Epoch, one that is not limited to linear time travel. With our Epoch, if we are in 1000 ad, go to 600 ad for 5 minutes, and return to 1000 ad, then 5 minutes will have pass. This Epoch ignores it. A paradox unlike any other could be created with this - one large enough to undo all of history, or change it to the users whim. But whoever has it will go to one place - The End of Time - and we will be waiting, eh Crono?"
Crono's groan of utter dismay has audible from several continents away.
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