Escaping Fate Chapter 3
By Taran
A huge beam of black energy flew at them, blasting them backwards and onto the ground. The emerald grass padded their fall, but did not keep them from rolling off the edge of a small cliff.
After working to their feet, they came together. Gathering in a small huddle, three Zeal soldiers discussed their plans about how to get at their opponent. “We’ve got to distract him some way.”
“Yeah. Then Jedd and I could take him by surprise. We’ve got to put all out effort into this attack though. If…”
“Wait a minute!” Jedd interrupted. “Are you suggesting that we put Lucca in the line of fire without any cover.”
“It’ll only be for a minute. If we move quick enough, and have our act together…”
“No! She won’t do it.”
“Jedd, I have too.” Lucca insisted. “We cannot let Joe live. If we do this, it will mean freedom for all of us.”
“I can’t stop you then?” The girl shook her head. Jedd went up to her, grabbed her, and pulled her close. They kissed. “Come on Crono, let’s do this.”
The two men of them crawled away, towards either side of a small knoll that Joe was commanding his army from. Lucca then climbed up the cliff they had just recently fallen down. She waited behind a rock until she saw Jedd and Crono come into position. Then, summoning up all of her might, leapt up into the sky. Coming down, she twirled her sword and let loose a storm of fireballs down on her enemy.
Glancing at his attacker, Joe waved his hand and placed her, in mid air, in suspended animation. He then let the coming onslaught of flames phase through him and scorch the ground behind.
Seeing that he was distracted, Jedd and Crono charged forward at the Islar. With both their blades filled with lightning magic, they together slashed at him from either side and continued all the way through. They then turned back to him and blasted him with as many lightning bolts as they could muster up. When they could summon no more magic power within them, they drove their long blades into his small body until his dark blood spewed out. Finally, after their swords had broken inside his chest, with the last of their strength, they beat on him with their bare fists, stopping at nothing to destroy the ruler of the Islar forces.
Down on the ground, buried under two Zeal soldiers, Joe had finally been hurt. He would not let this be his last stand however. With the force of a volcano, he erupted in an explosion of jaded power. A green wave of sheer force lunged out in all directions, carrying Jedd and Crono with it until it slammed them down to the earth. Crushed between Joe’s might and the hard, rocky earth, the two soldiers could do nothing but watch at what he did next.
Turning to them, the ones who had wounded his body, the Islar spoke in a mighty voice. “Your powers are weak!” His words boomed across the battlefield, echoing in the minds of all present in the war raging on down below. “Nothing can stand up to the gods-given power of the Islar! See how your feeble attempts have done nothing!” As he continued, the blood that had spilled onto the ground began to rise, floating upwards and back into his scars. Small sparkles of light surrounded him and healed up his deep wounds. “Now, pay the price for your insolence!”
Whirling around, Joe thrust his fist out at Lucca, still helplessly held still by his mystical powers. From his open fist shot a small beam of purple light. It was as thin as a laser, but more deadly. Without hesitation it pierced through her mid-section and continued on into the sky. From that very small hole in her body, Lucca’s blood began to slowly drip out. The beam then increased in size, and force, consuming Lucca as it expanded. Lastly, the beam was joined by two uncontrollable shots of dark energy, one from Joe’s hand and the other from the opposite end of the beam as it doubled back on itself. Lucca let out a scream, but it was silenced: crushed between the two blasts as they collided, exploded, and destroyed the girl.
“No!” shouted Jedd. He strained himself to move, but Joe still had a hold of him. Not quite sure how, but pleased with the results, Jedd reached out from the inside and grasped some of the explosion’s residue for himself. Gripping it tightly in his fist, he lunged out, breaking free of the hold, charging at and then slamming the energy into Joe.
The energy proved effective, but only depending on whose view one looked at it from. Instead of completing the wielder’s purpose, it instead yielded to the will of its master and healed the Islar’s wounds even more completely. “Heh. Did you think that you could destroy a master with his own magic!?” Jedd gritted his teeth and a tear rolled down his cheek. Lucca was dead… And this, Kiwala, had killed her… Yet there was nothing he could do. “You have potential though. For you to hold my power without it destroying you hand is… remarkable. Surely you have found favor amongst our gods. Come with me. I shall make you… great!”
Crono pushed himself up with his arm and shouted out, “Jedd, don’t!”
“Never!” Jedd rebuked. “I will kill you, Joe!”
“Heh, that you shall. But not in that state. Come, pupil, you have much to learn.” A dark cloud formed overhead and a shadow covered the battlefield. All light was blotted out and no one could see anything. Then, when the rays of the sun cut through the cloud, Joe and Jedd were gone.
.
Crono’s dream of the past became blurry. He heard someone calling out to him.
“Crono. Yo Crono!” Fritz shook his friend until his eyes blinked open.
“What hit me?”
“Death Lock.”
At the mention of the name, Crono shot up. “Where’d he go!?”
“Hold it. You’re still too weak. Take this.” Fritz handed Crono a potion, he drank it, and felt his strength return to him.
“Ah thanks. Now, which way.”
“All right… After he blasted you, Piette came and did a number on him. It was amazing, no wonder he’s general.”
“Yeah, but which way?”
“Piette was kicking his butt down that way.”
“Alright, thanks.” Getting up, he ran down the hall the way Fritz had indicated.
Watching him go, Fritz yelled after him, “Hey, you owe me 50G for that Revive!”
.
As Crono ran down the hall, he began to hear something. Something other than the sound of weapons crashing against each other. As he came closer, he could tell it was the sound of a waterfall. He saw Piette up ahead, but the general motioned for him to stop. The general was out on a wooden dock that was over a lake in a large cavern. At the opposite side of the lake, the cave opened up, but was closed back again by a wide cascade. The waters were crashing against each other, the lake swirling around and flowing out with the cascade. Up above, standing on a rock ledge, was Death Lock. The dark general was badly bleeding, not standing right, but he was invincible to Piette’s attacks: he had taken a hostage.
Death Lock was talking to the Zeal general, but had yet to spot Crono. Gesturing behind him, Piette instructed Crono to go around and find a way up to the ledge. It did not prove very difficult. As he turned around, he saw a stairway that led upward. Running up the stone steps, he came to a hall that opened up into the water-filled chamber. He clearly saw Death Lock’s back and confronted him. Stepping out into the chamber he boomed, “Jedd!”
Turning around, the dark man snickered. “Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time… Back off Crono! If you didn’t notice, I have a hostage.”
“He’s a soldier of Zeal. He would be more than glad to give his life in order to kill you. And I would be more than glad to do it.” Though Death Lock held the soldier’s neck tightly, he managed to squeeze out a nod.
“Really now? Would it change your mind if I happened to come across… this?” With his free hand, Death Lock pulled out a small ring.
“That’s Marle’s engagement ring! Where’d you get that!?”
“Oh, from an old friend I ran into.” As he pulled off the soldier’s helmet, Marle’s long, blonde hair fell down behind her back.
“What’re you doing here!?” Crono demanded.
“I… I stowed away on the cruiser… I…”
“I do hope you can swim.” Death Lock laughed sarcastically. “Well, say goodbye.” With that, he pushed her over the edge and she plummeted down to the deep waters.
“No!” Crono shouted. Diving over the edge, past the fleeing ‘Islar,’ he too fell towards the lake. As the waters rushed at him, saw a black portal open from the air, just above the lake, and swallow Marle whole. As if by will, he was then eaten by the black pit and consumed by darkness.
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