Before we head any further, this author would like to apologize for the delay in the start of Act 2 of the Chrono: To the Sea of Dreams parody. Apparently, one of our castmembers had a few personal troubles.
*The theme to The People's Court can be heard playing. We cut to a courtroom. Schala enters in a sharp and alluring business suit, holding a stack of papers. With her is Yasunori Mitsuda.*
Caption: Sueing Wiz Kalipha for blatant piracy of 'Schala's Theme'.
*We cut back to the author.*
It is currently unknown how the issue was resolved, but please enjoy this new chapter. Thank you.
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A flash of light can be seen in Glenn's field of vision.
Glenn: A beach...? Wait, aren't we missing a story sequence or something? The hell happened?
*FLASHBACK*
An alarm sounds throughout the complex.
G: Damn! They're on to us!
Lillith: Yes, I think Dalton himself getting in our way would be a good indication of that... >_>
Reika: What about Lark and Schala?!
Glenn: No time! Cheese it!
*PRESENT*
Glenn: That's right. We got split up at that intersection...
Glenn sees an enormous carcass on the beach.
Glenn: Holy mother of good-smelling crap!! The hell is that thing?!!
*THWACK*
Reika: Prick! He's my friend!
The whale lets out a weak cry.
Reika: It's okay, it's just a scratch... ;_;
Glenn: Uh, I think we're still being followed. We better get out of here.
Reika: *hugs the whale* No!! I'm not leaving him!!! ;_;
Glenn: *groans* Great, so I'm the designated asshole, huh? Hate to do this, but...
Glenn... eventually pries the crying mermaid from her companion and retreats with her into the nearby woods. Soon a small squad of pursuit troops land. Leading them...
Hans: *to the whale* That thing! You!! You with the jumping and the crushing and the PAIN!!! Kill it!!
Torch Soldier: But lieutenant...
Hans: Are you questioning my orders...?
Soldier: You've been demoted twice. I think we do have that right.
Hans: Fine. I'll do it myself! *takes a flamethrower*
Soldier: Man, PETA's going to kick his ass for this...
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Meanwhile, on another beach...
G: God, that sucked.
Schwann: Not as bad as our passenger. You do realize she tried to kill us just now, right?
The two Dragoons look at said passenger. Wrapped in G's coat and unconcious is Schala.
G: Doesn't matter. She wasn't herself.
Schwann: You're not telling me that this is the same girl from those stories you told me about, are you?
G: .....We've failed our mission. You'd better head back to El Nido. I can get away with possibly 'defecting' from the Dragoons, but you can't.
Schwann: You gonna watch her?
G: Kinda have to at this point. There's no telling what she's capable of now.
Schwann: ........You take care of yourself, Grobyc.
Grobyc: I've lasted this long, haven't I?
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Meanwhile still...
Lark: And that's another pint of blood. Yeah. I think I'm gonna die.
????: Nah. You aren't that lucky.
Lark: Holy crap.... Is this what they call a 'Deus ex Machina'? Hey, what's with the fruity gold mask there, buddy?
????: None of your damn business. Say, before I help you out, I got a question. You wouldn't happen to know a woman named Schala, would you?
Lark: .....That depends. Are you talking about the girl I've been traveling with the whole story, or the monster that just attacked me a short while ago?
????: Damn. I was too late. Oh well, the old man wants you alive too, so I guess I have to move the plot along. *gives Lark a Nostrum*
Lark: A plot? There's a plot to this piece of shit?
????: Yeah, it just flew off in the direction of Guardia. Long white hair, sort of a mix between a human and a reptite.
Lark: A what?
????: Nothing. Name's Guile. Seeker of mysteries and plot device extraordinaire.
Lark: Great. So how do we get out of here?
Guile: What did I just say? Plot device.
And with that, our second Chrono Cross cameo teleports himself and Lark out of the chamber, which I'm sure will hold no past or future significance whatsoever.
........
...........
..............
..................
*cough*
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Eventually all three of the above scenarios end up back at the Radical Dreamer HQ. Although Lark's is a bit late.
Glenn: Schala?! The hell happened?
Grobyc: She was thrashing around destroying everything in a fit of mad rage. I had to put her down.
Reika: Was this before or after you wrapped her in your coat?
Grobyc: Get your minds out of the gutter... >_<
Schala: *sudden* No! I don't want to watch Lake House, mother!!
Reika: *falls over* O_O
Grobyc: Well, sounds like you're alright now. What's the last thing you remember?
Schala: Wait... you're-!
Grobyc: You recognize me?
Schala: Aside from the cosmetic surgery, yeah.
Grobyc: Good news everybody. I think Schala has her memory back.
Schala: Oh god! Lark...! I... *urp*
Reika: Uh oh. I think she's gonna pop... >_>
Suddenly....
Lark: Holy crap. I thought teleporting was supposed to be instant.
Guile: It is, but I wanted some Burger King. *holds up packages*
Schala:
Grobyc: Oh son of a bitch. Not you.
Guile: Yes me.
Lark and Schala meet eyes.
Schala: You're alive... I...
Lark... out of instinct or leftover fear, falls on his rear and begins to consistantly scream like Homer Simpson in that one episode of the Simpsons.
Lark: *pointing at Schala, crawling backwards* Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! AHHHH! AHHHH! AHHH! AHHH! AHHHH!
Glenn: Wow. G told us the whole story. You must have really emasculated him.
Schala:
Guile: ............
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Eventually, Lark is talked too, and loaded with lots of sedatives *cough*, but he is eventually made aware that Schala wasn't quite herself.
Guile: So what's your story?
Grobyc: Well, I couldn't return to Porre after my betrayal. The Dragoons took me in. You know, the whole machine learns to be human cliche. Had to get the surgery so Porre's scientists couldn't recognize me. But what the hell are you doing here? *looks at Schala* Besides the obvious, of course.
Guile: I'm here as a favor for the old man. I'm sure you still remember him.
Grobyc: Should we just say that it's Belthesar and get it over with?
Guile: Why? I think when one says 'old man' in the Chrono series, I think it's already generally assumed that it's Belthesar. Why need to repeat it?
Meanwhile, with the others... outside a dressing room.
Reika: So you can't just be wearing G's coat the whole time. You find something yet?
Schala: I think so.
Reika: Well, if what you had on since we met is any indication, anything with black leather and a corset would look good on you. It would definitely be perfect, considering you'll still be fighting in the party.
Schala has since left the dressing room.
Lark:
Glenn:
Grobyc: *leans out, raises eyebrow*
Reika: What's up? *turns around* What the hell?!!
Schala is wearing a variation of her old Zealian gown.
Schala: I couldn't find one with bell sleeves, or any sleeves for that matter, so I had to go with the gloves. ^_^
Reika: Ummm, that...
Glenn: Somebody tell me that dress is suited for battle...
Schala: *bows* I'm sorry...
Grobyc: Oh boy...
Reika: Schala! What the hell are you doing? You're acting all... *disgusted* demure...
Schala: I'm sorry...
Grobyc suddenly tosses one of Schala's swords to her. She jumps back in shock. The sword clatters to the ground.
Masa: Owowowowowowowow!!
Mune: Son of a bitch...
Grobyc tosses her the other one. Schala attempts - rather weakly - to catch it. Which she fails.
Doreen: Fail.
Grobyc does one last test. He quickly lunges his fist at her, but stops just short of her nose.
Schala:
Glenn: Okay something's wrong here. The Schala we know would have blocked that!
Grobyc: It's as I thought. She's a completely different person now that her memories have returned.
Guile: What we see right now is her true self.
Lark: So you're telling us, more or less, that the Schala we interacted with until now didn't really exist.
Guile: I wouldn't say 'didn't exist', but...
Lark: *disgusted* Typical. Fucking typical.
Lark begins to storm off.
Schala: Wait, I-
Lark: *screams* Don't touch me!!!
Party:
And Lark storms deeper into the base...
Schala:
Guile: ..............
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Rupert: Hey, do you know if Ms. Lillith is back yet?
Lark: Do I look like I give a shit right now? >_> Tch... Told me I could count on her... Guess I have to rely on only myself after all... dammit... *punches the wall*
Rupert: I'll ask somebody else.
Lark heads into the next chamber.
Rupert: Hey, don't go in there! That's where we're keeping the plot device we took from Porre!
Lark opens the doors.
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Reika: I'm sure he didn't mean it...
Schala: I'm sorry...
Reika: Stop apologizing! You didn't do anything wrong!
Schala: .........
Reika: .........
Schala: I'm sorry...
Reika:
Glenn: Well, most of the other RD's are headed to the ruins of Guardia Castle to wait for Cecillia and Lillith. I hope she had better luck on the mission than we did.
Guile: Holy crap!
Grobyc: What is it?
Guile: Did you feel that pressure?!
Guile looks on. Schala suddenly has a horrified expression on her face.
Glenn: Is it Porre?!
Schala: No...
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????: Power... I need power...
We flashback to the ruins of a battlefield. A young teenage fiend stands, covered in blood, shaken. Blood still drips down the cut over his left eye. If one could imagine a guess, this could very well be the aftermath of Porre's seige of Medina.
Mystic 1: You! You brought those animals here!
Mystic 2: It was that witch he brought! And she opened the door!
Mystic 3: Those damned humans!!
Mystic 4: Isn't he one of them too?! He's not like one of us...
Mystic 5: Damn half-breed!!
Mystic 6: Get out of here!!!
Mystic 7: It's your fault!! It's all your fault!!!
????: Power...
The battlefield disappears. Only the young man is left.
Lark: I need... power...
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*The song Girei (from one of the Naruto Shippuuden OST's) begins playing in the background.*
As the light subsides, Lark stares intently at the object in question. A large red stone. It suddenly begins to pulse with a strange light.
RD 1: Hey, you can't be in here!
Lark ignores him.
The other Radical Dreamers try to hold him down, but the stone emits a pulse of lightning that throws Rupert and the other soldiers off. The stone begins to transform the closer Lark gets to it. Five flared spikes emerge from the top of it while the center opens and three eye-looking stones socket themselves.
Lark's eyes begin to gloss over and glow an eerie red.
Reika: Lark!!
Grobyc: The hell?! I thought that thing disappeared in the Terra Tower!!
Guile: 'Lavos was supposed to have disappeared as well, but if what Schala said is true...'
Rupert: Ugh...
Glenn: Hey! Hang on!
Rupert: *scarred and burned* Gotta... stop him... That thing's..... evil... *dies*
Without warning, Glenn takes a shot at Lark. The bullet bounces of some sort of barrier.
Reika: That better have been a warning shot, Glenn!
Schala: Lark!! Get away from it!!!!
Her words fall on deaf ears. He reaches out and touches the stone. For a moment, nothing seems to happen.
Guile: Oh hell... *puts up a barrier around the party*
An image of Dalton disintigrating enters Lark's mind.
Lark:
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From far off, one could see a large pillar of flame emerge from the abandoned cathedral. Standing atop the ruins of Guardia Castle is the man from the end of the last chapter.
Kale: ...You have already chosen, then? So be it.
He turns his gaze to Cecille's mansion in Truce. The sound of a certain alien parasite's cry rings through his ears.
Kale: Ahhh, there you are...
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I'm back. If only for a little while. Everybody, let's give a round of applause for the new Arbiter!
Lark: *sneezes*
Uhhhh, anyway. Chances are, you're not gonna like this guy for the next few chapters. You could say it's the Frozen Flame's fault, but...
Was the Frozen Flame destroyed at the end of Cross? I can't seem to recall. Anyway, I hope this means I'll be back on another writing streak. Until next chapter.
