The canyon looked as usual when Marle, Crono and Lucca came out of the gate.
Crono looked around.
”No imps. Good.”
They continued down the mountain.
When they were almost down, they could hear the sound of something kicking another thing.
”I can’t be...” Crono said and carefully looked around the corner.
But, yes...
”These guys are STILL playing football!” Crono exclaimed.
They did as usual. Pressed themselves to the mountain wall and got past those imps.

There were more people in the town today.
Apparently, something had happened.
With Crono in the lead, the heroes walked around, trying to figure out what was happening.
Then Crono saw a big crowd of people, gathered outside Truce inn.
Crono, Lucca and Marle walked away too it.
”Magus troops have just reached Zenan bridge! This is the end!” one man said.
”No!” Another man replied, ”The legendaric hero has come. He will defeat them!”
Suddenly a lot of voices came from everywhere, and Crono couldn’t make out any who made sense.
”Can anyone tell me what going on?” he shouted.
All in the crowd turned around.
”You don’t know?”
Crono shook his head.
”No, I don’t.”
”The king is injured, and Magus troops have reached Zenan bridge!”
”Is the king injured?” Lucca said supriced.
”Yes!” the blacksmith said. ”I had almost completed my bell, when I got the news, and I have now lost the will to work.”
”Luckily,” another one said, ”Has the hero come, and he will save us.”
Marle turned to Lucca.
”You don’t suppose this hero is... Frog?”
”We’ll see about that...” Crono said. ”To the castle.”
It took almost an hour before they reached the castle.
”Who goes there?” The guards said just when Crono entered.
”Oh, it you. You may proceed.”
Crono nodded and walked up to the throne room with Lucca and Marle following.
But king wasn’t there.
”Sir Crono!” the Chancellor said. ”The legendary hero has finally appeared! He was here a few hours ago to see the king. But he just left.”
Crono nodded and walked up to the King’s room.
”Sir Crono, huh?” Lucca said.
Crono smiled. ”Well... You don’t like formal titles, do you?”
Lucca didn’t answer.

”How is he?” Crono asked one of the guards when he finally came up.
”He’s getting better. He fought bravely against Magus’s troops and had he not heard about the hero’s arrival, he might have fought to his death!”
Crono nodded and entered.
The king was lying in bed, with Queen Leene by his side.
A maid was also in the room.
”Cyrus must have sent that boy to us.” Leene said. She looked up when Crono, Lucca and Marle entered. The king looked at them.
”Oh, Crono... I’ve let down my kingdom. Since we can’t find Cyrus, our only hope is that boy wearing the hero medal... He’s searching the southern continent for the weapons who can kill Magus... Crono... The food is running out in our camp north of Zenan bridge.
The Knight Captain begs for food. Bring them some food... Please...”
Crono nodded.
”I will. I promise.”
”Yeah.” Marle and Lucca nodded. ”Don’t worry.”
They ran down to the dinning room and entered the kitchen.
In the kitchen was the chef running around, trying to get more food finished.
”Your brother is in trouble!” Crono said. ”They have run out of food.”
The chef stopped. ”My brother? He's...
That's what you get for thinking that you're the only ones fighting for your country!”
”Hey! Stop bickering! Grow up!” a maid said.
”...
Pipe down! What do you know?”
Marle grabbed Crono’s arm.
”Not much help down here. Let’s go and see how it is at the front.”
Crono nodded. ”Yeah.”
”He acts this way, but the chef always worries about the Knight Captain.” A maid said.
”Then I know what we’ll do!” Lucca said. ”Let’s go up.”
They walked up the stairs and got walked to the door. Then...
”Wait!” Crono, Marle and Lucca turned around.
The chef came after them.
”Here. Take this with you.”
He gave them one bag each.
”....” the chef turned around and walked back a few meters.
”And tell that fool... He had better come back alive!”
Crono nodded and they all walked out.
30 minutes later, the came to the Zenan bridge.
Once they got there, they saw many dead soldiers lying on the ground.
The Knight Captain was still standing and had a few more soldiers alive.
They didn’t even react when Crono, Lucca and Marle came down.
”Here.” Crono said and handed over the food.
”Sir Crono!” the Knight Captain said. ”Is this for us?”
Crono nodded.
”Food rations! The cook... he has saved us all!”
Many soldiers came to them and grabbed a bit.
The Knight Captain looked away.
”Sir Crono, if I do not make it back... give my brother my thanks...”
Crono nodded.
”I will.”
Then they heard strange sound across the bridge.
Sound of fire and then metal crunching against metal.
”WHAT is going on here?!” the Knight Captain said.
A knight from the bridge came to them.
”Magus's troops have launched an attack! They're breaking through our defenses!”
”Stop sniveling! It shames the Knights of the Square Table!” The Knight Captain said.
”We shall DESTROY Magus's troops and bring honor to our king!”
The knight looked back on the bridge.
”But we’re far outnumbered!”
”This is our last line of defense! We must let no one through!”
”Understood!” the knight said and ran back to the bridge.
The Knight Captain looked at Crono.
”Our troops are suffering greatly. Sir Crono, will you assist us?”
Crono nodded.
”We will.”
”We are eternally in your debt! You will find Magus's troops across the bridge!”
Crono, Lucca and Marle dashed over the Zenan bridge to the last line of defense.

Once they came half over the bridge, they could see how two skeletons killed the two last knights.
They looked at Crono, Marle and Lucca.
Then a fat, green, slimy creature came hovering.
”Goodday!” he said. ”I'm Ozzie, Magus's top general! Those who defy Magus have to answer me!
Yes, my children... Give'em a taste of doom!”
The skeletons jumped forward, just to be scattered by a lightning bolt.
”Nice shot, Crono!” Lucca said.
Ozzie looked at the small pieces who was left of his ‘children’.
”Those whimpers are stronger than I thought...”
Then he turned around and hovered away.
Crono, Marle and Lucca ran after him.
Once they were close enough, Ozzie turned around.
”We got him!” Crono exclaimed.
”Seems I misjudged you. But I won't do that twice!”
He raised his hands, and three new skeletons from three dead bodies raised.
”Grrrr! You're through!”
The skeletons aimed for Crono. Crono pulled up his red katana and cut the first one in two.
Marle and Lucca made an antipode attack and scattered the two others.
”Drat!” Ozzies said and again hovered away.
They followed him to the other side of the bridge.
”That's IT! Now you're finished!” Ozzies said.
”Don’t mess with Crono, or you’ll really be sorry!” Marle said.
”Right!” Crono added.
Ozzie laughed.
Crono glanced back and saw how four dead bodies came hovering.
They fell down in a pile in front of Ozzie. Then they built up a huge skeleton.
”Go Zombor!” Ozzie said  ”Crush Sir Magus's enemies!”
The Zombor screamed.
Crono looked at Marle and Lucca. ”I think we’re in trouble.”
The Zombor opened it’s mouth and launched fire from it’s mouth.
The fire hit Lucca, who was luckily wearing the Taban vest.
Crono leaped forward and attacked the Zombor with his red katana.
But it didn’t make much damage. Lucca fired back some fire on the mouth,
but it seemed to like it healed the Zombor.
Crono fired a lightning on it, but it didn’t do very much damage.
The Zombor counterattack with a scream. This scream was so loud, Crono, Marle and Lucca fell to the ground. They got quickly up.
”Antipode!” Marle screamed and fired some ice magic on the Zombor.
Lucca nodded and replied with some fire, as soon as the ice hit it’s target.
The block exploded, but the Zombor continued to attack.
More fire came from it, and hit Crono this time.
Crono was surrounded with a big flame.
”Crono!” Marle screamed and expected to see a brown skeleton standing on Crono place.
But Crono looked the same, but he was lying on the ground.
”AAAaahhh....”
He slowly got up.
”Marle, gimme some ice.”
Marle looked at him. ”What do you mean?”
”Combo-magic” Crono replied and waited for Marle.
Marle summoned her ice magic.
Then, Crono jumped four meter up and pointed his sword straight up.
Marle fired her ice crystal on Crono’s sword, and in the same moment it hit, Crono dived with his sword pointing down. His sword glowed with a blue color, and a blue light appeared once he hit the Zombor. Crono leaped back.
When the light was gone, so was the upper body of the Zombor.
The legs walked around.
Then they leaped forward and grabbed Marle. They jumped up and released Marle, who fell down.
”Uuurghfff...”
”And now some fire!” Crono said.
He repeated the procedure.
With his sword loaded up with Lucca’s fire, he dived down and slashed the bones, who scattered.
Crono looked around for Ozzie, but was nowhere to be seen.
The he looked at Marle who just got up.
”You okay?”
Marle nodded.
”That fat... thing!” Lucca exclaimed. ”Gone... But I guess we’ll see him again.”
 

The continued to walk south and entered the southern continent.
”How come you didn’t burn up?” Marle asked.
”Don’t know.” Crono replied. ”But I guess it was magic fire and not real. That probably why.”
Marle nodded.
They continued down the town of Domino.
This town was abandoned around 900 AD because of that the desert grew and made it impossible to farm anything. But it was alive now.
They walked in the mayors house, to ask for this ‘hero’.
Once they came in, they heard a male voice saying:
”I want you to find the mythical Rainbow shell. Here is some money. Can you do it?”
”Hey, No problem! ‘Cause, like, I’m the mythical explorer! Good match eh... chief.”
Crono recognized Toma talking to the elder.
”Hmm... I’ll be waiting for the good news.” the elder said.
Toma nodded and walked out.
”Hey, Toma!” Crono said.
Toma looked at him.
”Oh, you. Sorry I’m busy right now. Let’s talk later.”
With those words, he walked out. Marle walked to the elder.
”Excuse me, but... Do you know where the hero is?”
The elder looked at her.
”The hero? Look in the town of Porre. Because it’s there he’s from.”
”Thanks.” Marle said.
She turned to Crono.
”Porre.”
He nodded and they walked out.

About four hours later...
Finally they came to Porre. This was the most southern city of the kingdom.
They entered the cafe.
Five persons were in there and was eating. But ever though that, it was quiet.
”We’re looking for the hero.” Crono said. ”Does anyone now who he is, or better, where he is.”
An old man turned around. ”You mean Tata. I don’t know where he is.”
”Tata?” Marle said. ”But what about Frog?”
”Frog?” the man said. ”Oh, yes... There was a strange monster here a few days ago, mumbling something about Queen Leene and the Masamune. Then he walked to the cursed woods.
Sure that was an ugly Frog!”
”Masamune?” Lucca repeated.
”Yeah.” the man said. ”It’s the sword who can beat Magus.”
”How do you know Tata is the hero?” Crono asked.
”Because he was wearing the hero medal of course!”
Crono nodded. ”I see.”
”The Masamune is, according to the legend, in the mountains east of Dendoro. Why don’t you look there?”
Crono nodded.
”We will.”
Once they were outside, Crono asked:
”Okay, Cursed woods or Denadoro mountain?”
”Cursed woods.” Marle said.
”Agree.” Lucca replied.
”Me too.” Crono said and they walked to the cursed woods, west of Porre.
The cursed woods weren’t cursed. People thought that a long time ago, but the name has been remained unchanged. Crono, Lucca and Marle walked deeper into it.
”How can we find Frog here?” Lucca asked.
”Can be hard, I know, but we gotta try.” Crono said.
They continued deeper in.
All they could see was trees. Trees everywhere.
”So...” Marle said. ”What exactly are we looking for? A house?”
Crono shook his head. ”Sorry, I don’t know.”
”Well I guess...” Marle said ”That weeeeeeeeeeeeeee.....” Suddenly she fell through the ground.
Crono looked down in the hole. Marle was standing in a big room. Then Crono saw a ladder.
He and Lucca climbed down. ”You okay?”
Marle nodded. ”What is this place?”
”Who's there?!” a voice said.
Crono didn’t have to answer.
”'Tis thee, Crono! Thou art here to practice thy skill in swordplay?” Frog said.
The frog stepped away from the shadows.
”The king has been injured!” Marle said. ”We need your help.”
”What?
The King has been injured?!” Frog turned away.
”...
I see...
'Tis a nary thing I canst do...
The hero I am not. I can do naught. Please be on thy way.”
”But...”
”Sorry.”
Crono nodded.
They climbed up.
”I think he’s lost the will to fight. But I don’t know why.”
Lucca nodded.
”Your right. Let’s go to Denadoro mountain and find that Tata. Let’s see how much hero he is.”
They all nodded.
”Let’s go.”
 

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