In general, Magus is a lot of fun to write. I'm having a difficult time
resisting trying to draw Serge as a Time Egg, with blue hair, a bandana,
and a confused expression!
@utunnels: No, those lines have to belong to a townsperson, don't they?
It isn't my misattribution--the line is mislabeled in the original script--
but I still should have caught it. Mea culpa.
And now, Part the Fourth, featuring Robo and Lynx's final curtain call...
24. The Arbiter of Time - On whom the three Fates smile... Part IV
===========================================================
Project Kid, Chronopolis (Another)
===========================================================
[As the party enters the room and the next few lines are spoken,
the camera pans over to the center of the room, which contains an
odd sphere-shaped construction.]
Serge:
(What the HECK is that?!)
Magus: | Sprigg: | Luccia:
The Frozen Flame. The apparatus | I've never felt a | Dis is de most advanced
constructed around it must have | power like this | energy extraction system
something to do with the failed | before. Iz that... | I have ever seen. Is dat de
experiment. | the Frozen Flame? | Frozen Flame in de center?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Norris: | Zoah: | Dario:
I do not pretend to understand | IS THAT ODD ITEM | The aura of that thing...it
this apparatus, but what lies | AT THE CENTER OF | chills my blood worse than the
in the center cannot be | THE APPARATUS THE | Masamune ever did. That must
anything other than the Flame. | FROZEN FLAME? | be the Frozen Flame.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Karsh: | Glenn: | Starky:
So that's the Frozen Flame. | Is that the Frozen | Staarky is shocked! The
Weird-lookin' thing. Question | Flame? It makes my | energiies in this room
is, where's Lynx?! | blood run cold. | are soo strong...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Radius: | Nikki: | Fargo:
Is that the Frozen Flame? It | Is that the Frozen | Arr... That must be the
gives me the same kind of chill | Flame? It's WICKED | Flame. So it really was
that the Masamune did. | cool! | here all along.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marcy: |
So that's the Frozen Flame? |
I heard it was, like, supposed |
to grant wishes and stuff, but |
it just looks like a rock! |
Serge:
The Frozen Flame... (I still
don't get how it fits in...)
[Lynx]
Exactly.
Serge:
......!?
[The scene fades out, and when it comes back again, the camera
is at a greater distance from the sphere, and panning downward.
Kid is collapsed on the floor in front of the sphere, with the
party standing a short distance away.]
[Lynx]
The hearer of
people's prayers...
The provider of
riches, fame, and power...
The bestower of
eternal life...
The promiser of
peace and happiness...
Magus: [if present]
Yet another ignorant fool.
The Flame does nothing
without exacting a price.
[Serge makes a violent waving gesture with one hand]
Serge:
Lynx! Cut the crap and
show yourself!
[Lynx as Dark Serge appears roughly Serge's height above the
ground, and floats down to stand on the other side of Kid.]
Lynx:
This is the essence of what
descended from the heavens
in the prehistoric age.
The living crimson stone...
the Frozen Flame!
Serge:
Who cares about the stupid
rock?!
Lynx:
What took you so long?
You had me worried.
Worried that you might
have perished on the
way here.
Serge:
Even if I had, I would have
found some way of getting
here.
Lynx:
Oh? Such...enthusiasm. I would
never have expected you to be so
eager for our final conrontation.
Serge:
Don't flatter yourself! I didn't
come here for you, I came here
for-- (Damnit, what in hell am
I doing?! Kid's lying there on
the floor and all I can think
about is yelling at Lynx?!
Serge, you're an idiot.)
[Serge goes over to kneel beside Kid, apparently checking on
her condition.]
Serge:
Kid! Hey, Kid! Wake up!
Lynx:
It's no use.
I put her soul to sleep.
I had to remove any
potential obstacle from
us having this talk.
[Serge stands up again and turns to face Lynx.]
Serge:
You're telling me that you made
me go through all of this just
so that you could talk to me
about the Flame? Just how dumb
do you think I am? Either tell
me who you are and the REAL
reason why you're doing this,
or I'll beat you up and MAKE
you tell me!
Lynx:
You still don't know?
I am the human
incarnation of FATE...
The living interface
of the FATE computer
system...
Or put simply...
I, too, am FATE!
Serge:
And what does that have
to do with me?
Lynx:
14 years ago, on the night
of a terrible storm,
the cogs began to turn.
That night, Wazuki and Miguel
set out to sea carrying a
sick, young child in their
boat.
That child was you, Serge,
after you had been attacked
by that panther demon.
Serge:
(Is there a point to this?)
Lynx:
Your poisoned wounds were
beyond the healing abilities
of the doctors in Termina or
even Guldove.
So they set sail to Marbule
in order to see the sage
there...not knowing how bad
the storm would become.
Being skilled sailors,
the two men were able to
survive the storm.
But they were blown off
course and came ashore on
this island, where they
decided to seek shelter.
At the time, this research
center was off-line due to
the severity of the storm.
It only took 10 minutes for
the system to power back up,
but by then, the Flame had
found you...
Serge:
(Well, I guess that explains how
Dad and Miguel got inside, but--)
Lynx:
Contact with the Flame
healed your young body.
But that was not all...
Once the security card
system was rebooted, it
would only grant access
to you...the '"arbiter."'
You can't imagine the
trouble this caused the
FATE computer system in
achieving its objective.
Serge:
Cry me a river. (Is he FINALLY
going to tell me what the damned
thing is trying to do, or am I
going to be left to twist in the
wind again?)
Lynx:
Inside of FATE, there was a
stand-alone circuit that had
been kept hidden since the
old Mother Brain generation.
That circuit was designed to
start a malfunction, or more
precisely, a '"rebellion."'
Lynx:
Who would have thought that
such a small bug, a '"traitor,"'
could exist inside of FATE?
Serge:
(Urgh, when's he going to get
tired of hearing himself talk?!)
Lynx:
That hidden circuit was based
on the initial Ashtear model
circuit board, with extra logic
added by another scientist.
FATE itself did not realize
that this circuit was present
within the core of its system.
Or, more correctly...
...the circuit was programmed
so that the moment FATE did
detect it, it would erase all
record of its detection.
Magus: [if present]
That does sound like something
Lucca might have done.
Lynx:
Dr. Lucca Ashtear...
Unbelievably intelligent,
and incredibly enthusiastic.
You might even go so far as
to call her a mad scientist.
Of course I don't believe
it was Lucca alone that
devised this plan.
I'm sure the first curator
of this research center,
a man named Belthasar,
had a hand in it, too.
Magus: [if present]
Lucca...and Belthasar?
Does this mean that she approved
of his plan, whatever it may be?
Lynx:
FATE!
Bring out the traitor,
Prometheus...
[FATE]
Affirmative.
Serge:
(Okay, now things are starting
to get weird again. I'd like to
step in right now and chop Lynx's
head off, but there's still the
tiniest little chance that he
might say something useful, so...)
[Robo]
Aaaah...
You have finally released me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[If Magus is present]
Magus:
Robo, is that you?
[Robo]
Magus... Lucca always thought
you had to be alive--somewhere,
somewhen--but I never expected
to see you again.
Magus:
I don't think I ever intended
to return to the future.
Lynx: [turning slightly to look at Magus]
If you are acquainted with that
pile of circuitry, and with
Lucca Ashtear, you must be
another of the travelers who
challenged Lavos...
Magus:
And what if I am?
Lynx:
I merely find it...deliciously
ironic that someone so weak
could have succeeded in that.
Serge:
Magus, don't! (If we fight in
here, Kid might--)
[Robo, simultaneous with Serge]
Magus, please do not--
Magus:
I must attempt to learn, one
of these days, what it is that
causes so many people to take
me for a hot-headed fool.
[Robo]
You operate according to your
own logic, which makes you
difficult to predict. But there
isn't much time. Now that the
security system is off-line, the
dragons will come to attack
FATE--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[If Magus isn't there...]
[Robo]
Welcome back.
So you're the real Serge.
Serge:
Um, yeah. Sorry for any
confusion. (Why am I
apologizing? It isn't like I
GAVE Lynx my body!)
[Robo]
I've waited a long time for you...
I'm glad you made it in time.
Serge, I beg you!
Please bring an end to
the enmity between FATE
and the Dragons...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lynx:
FATE!
Eliminate him.
[FATE]
Affirmative.
Now eliminating Prometheus.
Serge:
Wait! You can't do that!
Lynx:
Too late.
[Robo]
Serge...
P-Please...
For the future of mankind...
F-For...
th-the...
f-fu...ture...
o...
Lynx:
Idiot.
Destruction to those who
oppose the Goddess of Fate!
Magus: | Norris: | Sprigg:
... | Killing a computer is | Then I guess you need
I cannot claim that Prometheus | perhaps not murder... | to destroy us az well,
and I were ever truly friends, | but that was still an | becauze we aren't goin'
but he deserved better than to | evil thing to do. | to roll over for you and
be extinguished by a casual | Prepare yourself, Lynx. | your pet!
command from you. |--------------------------------------------------------------
| Karsh: | Fargo:
You will not leave this place | Now my blood's boilin'! | We'll have no more of
alive. | Say yer prayers, Lynx! | that, you murderer! Arr!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dario: | Zoah: | Starky:
FATE is no goddess, and we are | FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD, | Staarky does not think it
not your servants. This is the | WE MUST DESTROY YOU BEFORE | was riight to destroy that
end, Lynx! | YOU CAN DO ANY MORE DAMAGE.| non-organic sentience.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leena: | Luccia: | Glenn:
You're disgusting, you know | How could you be so | Murdering a helpless
that? First you pick on Serge, | vasteful?! De t'ings ve | being... You have no
then Kid, and now that poor | could have learned from a | honour, Lynx. And you
robot or whatever he was... | computer designed by Lucca | are too dangerous to be
The world's going to be a | Ashtear... For de sake of | permitted to live.
better place without you! | science, I must not let |
| you leave here alive. |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grobyc: |
Grobyc-thinks-that-Lynx-is |
-strong, but-it-is-time-to- |
prove-that-Grobyc-is-stronger. |
[Lynx slides backward, then sinks into the floor.
There are some deep purple sparklies, and then FATE
emerges from the point at which he disappeared.]
Lynx:
Hah...
Come, Serge!
Show me what the purpose of
your life on this planet is...
Teach me what it means to be
'"alive!!!"'
Serge:
Are you saying you put me
through all this crap just for
THAT?! Messing with my life,
killing Lucca Ashtear, TORTURING
Kid...just so that you could
fight me?! I'm gonna FLATTEN
you, you son of a bitch!
(Going to have to be careful
here--Kid might get hit...
but I think she'd want me to
do this.)
[Combat. When the party wins, Kid is awake and crouching
on the floor where she used to be lying. By contrast, Dark
Serge is face-down on the floor.]
Serge:
(Pant, pant... So it's finally
over. Funny, I always thought
it would feel more...I dunno...)
Lynx:
S-serge.
Serge:
(Argh! I want to just walk over
there and kick him, but...doing
that to someone who's already
dying would be...)
What do you want NOW?
Lynx:
I know it's...a lot to ask,
but please tell her...
I'm sorry.
Serge:
Tell WHO? Hey, wait--
[As Dark Serge fades away, something small and sparkling bounces
across the floor to land beside Serge's foot. Serge bends down and
picks it up.]
Serge:
(Looks like a piece of ordinary
beach glass. Hey, wait, there's
something scratched into this
side... "M (heart) W"... I don't
get it, unless the woman he
wanted to apologize to has one
of those initials. But I have
other things to worry about
right now.)
Kid? Hey, Kid, are you okay?
[Kid gets to her feet.]
Kid:
Ah...!
Huh...?
Where in blazes am I?
Serge:
Right in the middle of
the Sea of Eden.
[Kid turns to face the party]
Kid:
Serge...
What happened to me?
Serge:
Lynx brainwashed you...or at
least, that's the short version.
We still don't know what he was
really after, though. He went on
and on about the Frozen Flame,
but...
Kid:
The Flame? Where?
[She turns and looks up at the big spherical construction]
Kid:
Aha!?
That...?
That's it!!!
[Kid runs over, jumps onto the base of the sphere-thing, and
begins climbing.]
Serge:
Kid?! Hey, wait! What are you
doing?! (Damn! I'm not good
enough at climbing to follow her
up there, but I have a really
bad feeling about this...)
Kid! The Flame isn't going to
run away! Come back down so
that we can talk!
(Why isn't she listening?!
It's almost as though she's...
still under Lynx's control...)
[When Kid reaches the top, Harle appears,
floating a bit lower-down.]
Harle:
NON!!!
Arrête!
Serge:
(Where did SHE come from?!)
Harle:
Ne touchez pas!
Do not touch it!
Harle:
Kid!
I know ze feelingz
you have inside of you...
Ze urge to bring
everyt'ing to not'ing iz
now stronger zan your
dezire to save everyone.
You may want to t'row
yourself down ze cliff
of destruction...
Zat iz your impératif.
Serge:
(What did Lynx DO to her?!)
Kid, please...
Harle:
But s'il vous plaît,
Kid...
Do not drag Serge and
ze odderz down into
destruction wit' you!
Serge:
(I... I can't believe...
It's all been heading
toward THIS?!)
Kid:
Shut up, ya looney!
I know what I'm doin'!
It's too late!
There's no turnin'
back now!
Serge:
Kid...
Magus: [if present]
Damn you, Belthasar! Was this
all part of your "plan"? Without
knowing what you meant to do, I
can't tell whether I should try
to intervene, or--
[Light flares in the center of the sphere, and the
screen whites out. When the picture returns, Harle is
lying on the floor where Kid was. As Serge walks over
and kneels beside her, we are taken back to where Kid
is standing on top of the sphere. The light inside it
is fading. Then the screen fades out completely, and we
are taken to a series of one-line scenelets with the
dragons, each fading directly into the next:]
===========================================================
Water Dragon Isle (Home)
===========================================================
Water Dragon:
FATE has fallen...
Fate has died...
===========================================================
Mount Pyre (Another)
===========================================================
Fire Dragon:
Finally, the time has come...
===========================================================
Gaea's Navel (Home)
===========================================================
Green Dragon:
Indeed... The long, endless night
shall finally come to an end.
===========================================================
Earth Dragon Isle (Home)
===========================================================
Earth Dragon:
Now...
For mankind...
===========================================================
Marbule (Another)
===========================================================
Black Dragon:
I shall make
you bleed!!!
===========================================================
Sky Dragon Isle (Another)
===========================================================
[Sky Dragon]
Feel a million years of this planet's
agony, pain, and suffering...!!!
[At this point, VIDEO: the rise of Terra Tower plays.]
===========================================================
Project Kid, Chronopolis (Another)
===========================================================
[After the video, we return to the top of the sphere.]
Kid:
Terra Tower...
It's come back
to life again...!
Kid:
In the year 2400, during a
counter-time experiment, the
Flame goes out of control...
This causes the dimensions
to rip apart, resultin' in
the Time Crash.
Engulfed in an enormous
dimensional vortex,
Chronopolis was hurled ten
thousand years back in time.
Perhaps it was the awakenin'
Lavos who pulled the Frozen
Flame back through time to it.
Maybe so that Lavos, who saw
the possibility that some young
adventurers might destroy it,
could create a backup plan.
Serge:
(Damnit, how could FINALLY
beating Lynx have made things so
much worse?! Harle shows up and
collapses, Kid's gone nuts and
is babbling about stuff she
shouldn't know about, and I...
I don't know what to do! I can't
really have been brought here
just to open a door...can I?)
Kid:
But that ain't all...
At the same time, another
city from a different
dimension's future, was
also thrown back in time.
Dinopolis... The future city
of the Reptites -- Azala's
descendants, who had evolved
more closely with the planet.
Just as Lavos, in an attempt
to save itself, summoned
Chronopolis from the distant
future...
Perhaps our planet beckoned
Dinopolis into the past...
maybe as a measure against
Chronopolis and humanity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[If Magus is present]
Magus:
"Perhaps" nothing. It's obvious
now that this is all your doing,
you wretched old buzzard. Who
in the modern era, other than a
time traveller, would know the
name of the last Reptite leader,
who died 65,000,000 years ago?
Serge:
Are you saying...?
Magus:
This has to be another one of
Belthasar's unintelligible
little messages...or perhaps it
would be more accurate to call
them riddles. What use could he
possibly have had for a cityful
of hyperevolved lizards?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[If Magus is not in the party]
Serge:
(So did all of this happen
because the planet was trying to
fight off this Lavos, or...?)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kid:
It wasn't the Dragon Gods
who sealed up the Frozen
Flame!
It was FATE, which used the
Flame's power to divide and
seal the Dragons in slumber!
And now that FATE has been
defeated, the Dragons will
join together again to
start their revenge!
Serge:
(Revenge on WHAT, though? Lavos
isn't there anymore. It's been
killed. By humans. And now the
dragons want to get rid of us?
What did we do to make them hate
us so much?!)
[And we get another VIDEO: dragons fusing into the
Dragon-God over Chronopolis]
Harle:
I feared it would
come to zis...
I didn't want to
have to fight wit'
you if it could
have been avoided!
Magus: [if present]
That aura...
How did I ever mistake
her for a human?
Harle:
Adieu, Serge!
Adieu!
[Harle flies into the center of the sphere and vanishes, and
as something flies out the top of that sphere, Kid collapses.]
Serge:
Harle, wait! What do you mean?!
Kid... (Damnit, everything's
happening at once again!)
...I suppose we should take her
somewhere safe. There's nothing
more we can do here. (And the
Frozen Flame and the Dragons
and all the rest can damned well
wait until I'm sure Kid's okay.)
[Then we fade directly to...]
===========================================================
Mess Hall, SS Invincible (Another)
===========================================================
[Serge, Fargo, Riddel, Viper, and the Dragoon Devas (along
with Glenn, if he was recruited, or Magus, if he was) are
scattered around the room, sitting or standing.]
Karsh:
Give me a frickin' break!
You mean to tell me we were
bein' used all this time!?
Magus: | Fargo:
We knew that already. | Yeah...
Karsh:
Damn!!!
Serge:
Yelling about it won't change
things. (Although I have to
admit that, if it could, I'd
be screaming right along with
him!)
Viper:
......
What is done is done.
Although we may not like it...
In any case, we need to
make our way into that
floating tower.
Serge:
I guess so. It's better than
just sitting around, anyway.
(Really, I'm more worried about
Kid than the damned tower, but
it isn't like I can do anything
for her.)
Viper:
The only problem is...
Fargo:
So, we have ta find
a way up there, right?
It's not like the great
S.S. Invincible can make
it up there, either...
Riddel:
There has to be a way.
Magus: | Glenn:
I could fly myself up there | Yes, the world has
easily enough, but I can't carry | infinite possibilities.
passengers...and as the universe | There has to be something
is fond of reminding me, I'm | that will help us reach
unlikely to accomplish much up | that tower.
there alone. We need to find a |
technological solution. |
Viper:
Hmmm... At least our
objective is clear.
I do not know how,
but we must find a way.
Marcy:
So, like...whatever happened
to Kid after that?
Serge:
We took her to Guldove first,
but Doc couldn't do anything for
her. He said she has to wake up
on her own...if she ever can.
[Serge kicks the wall]
Serge:
I feel so powerless! (It's
almost unbearable--I went
through so much to save her,
but now...)
Karsh:
Yeah...
Riddel:
Do not despair. Kid...is one
of the strongest people I have
ever met. She will wake. Have
no doubt of it.
Zoah:
INDEED.
SHE IS RESTING AT
RADIUS'S PLACE.
Glenn[if present]:
Well, at least she can
rest quietly there.
Plus, Radius will
watch over her.
Dario: | Fargo:
Trapped inside her own mind... | Arr... 'Tis true that she's
It isn't a fate I would wish | a strong wench, but there
on anyone. There must be some | must be some way we can help
way we can help her struggle | her along--by magic, if not
free. | by science.
Serge:
...!
The Masamune can influence
people's minds, right? And so
can the Dragon Tear. Maybe...
Magus: [if present]
You might cure her by such
means. Of course, you might
also kill her...
Radius:
If you wish to make the attempt,
Serge, I think I speak for
everyone when I say that we will
do everything we can to help,
despite the risk.
Serge:
...Thank you.
Karsh:
No use just mopin'
around here.
Viper:
Indeed, we have much to do.
However, time will not wait.
Fargo:
Then we have to take action.
Let's shove off, mateys!
[Fadeout. The last line appears against a black screen.]
Everyone:
Yeah!!!
I think I'm going to do a piece or three of side-stuff next, as there are a number of
bits and pieces of various lengths that need to be done (forging Rainbow weapons,
Magus and the Mystic Knights, the Nikki-Marcy-Fargo family argument, ZOAH'S CHARACTER
SCENE, and, of course, the real meaning of Lynx's bit of beach glass) and only
three chapters left to go in the main story.