Tentative title. Just a piece of incomplete characterisation.
Campfire
“Remind me again. Why did you create this thing?” Crono asked, standing up from having been hit by one of the creature’s- which Magus had said was called Retinite- ‘Sand Cyclones’.
And to think that, before this experience, he had enjoyed playing in the sand.
“I told you,” the blue-haired mage grunted, slashing at one of Retinite’s legs. “Another creature to cause death, destruction and general havoc amounst the human population.”
“Water!” As the spell covered the sand skull, ribcage and wings, the third member of the party glared at Magus. “Speakest thou of them not like that!” he commanded.
“I don’t believe I should lower myself to taking orders from a frog,” Magus returned coldly.
A muscle in the green one’s cheek twitched spasmodically, and no doubt he would have attacked the mage if Crono hadn’t interfered.
“Guys! We’re meant to be killing that, not each other!” The two glared at each other for a moment before turning their attention back to Retinite. Crono sighed. In hindsight, bringing Magus and Glenn- the name which Lucca had switched to as soon as she’d learnt it, having no fondness for calling a friend of sorts ‘Frog’- on the same quest had not been a good idea. He should have realised that before they’d started, but Marle had refused point-blank to go on another quest straight after Yakra the Thirteenth and Gaspar had hinted that two people who could use water magic were better than one. Well, actually he’d borrowed one of Lucca’s old guns and threatened Crono with it, which the red-haired one thought was going a little too far, although it did get the former Guru’s point across.
He just wished Gaspar had threatened to kill Magus and Glenn if they started trying to kill each other again.
“Are you helping or not?” Magus demanded, snapping Crono out of his reverie.
“Right, right… Confuse!”
“Remind me why you named it that. Ice!”
Crono shrugged. “I think I was short on good ideas for names that day. Glenn, X-Strike?”
“With a will,” Glenn muttered, casting a glare Magus’s way, which was returned in kind.
The attack proved too much for the upper half of what had been Retinite, which broke apart and fell to the ground.
“It is dead, right?” Crono asked, prodding the ground where the sand had fallen. “I don’t want to find we have to kill that thing again…”
“Oh, no, it’s dead. Unlike ribbit here…”
Glenn growled, a highly unusual sound coming from a someone partly frog. “Methinkst I should do thee the favour first!”
“Oh, phfa. You weren’t-”
“Right!” Crono stepped between the two. Things were probably going to get messy if they continued along these lines. So… “Volunteer for going back to the End of Time?”
There was silence for a moment as the two attempted to bore holes through Crono by with their Glares of Death (9 and 13, respectively).
Glenn eventually broke the unable-to-be-held gaze and looked up at Crono. “I shall go,” he said flatly. “I trust the mage not.”
“Only a rat trusts frogs.”
Crono sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. After this, what he wanted to see most was a headache tablet with a glass of water. And a bed, preferably his, although right now he’d settle for just about anything, including the cobbles at the End of Time. Or some soft grass. Just not sand. He never wanted to see this much sand again. “Let’s get out of here, I’m sick of looking at sand.” He started off towards the exit, and, after another Death Glare (™) at each other, the other two followed.
Once they had reached a quiet spot, Crono pulled a brown box out of his pack and took a mirror out, which he then handed to Glenn. With a quiet word of thanks, Glenn took it and turned it over so the back was facing him. There was a brief discussion, the other’s voice muted, and then a flash of light which forced Magus to cover his eyes and Crono to blink away spots.
He was still doing that when Magus remarked, “Does your presence always require such bright light, or is that merely your armour?”
Hal beeped quietly, but said nothing. Crono rubbed his forehead, then started looking for some tablets.
Is this a one-shot or will you make it longer, wingnut? I think it looks great.