Upon learning more about the Masamune - including the lengths to which they need to go to repair the blade - the party needs to pay a visit to 65,000,000 BC. This is a long-distant era that's accessible via the bottom-middle light pillar at the End of Time, and while you could have visited the past before, it wasn't much use until now.
Immediately after emerging from the Gate you’ll drop into the middle of a pair of battles against reptilian creatures called Reptites. They’re not terribly difficult, though you’ll find all-hitting Techs, particularly anything Light-related, to be of greatest effect. Once you plow through both swarms of Reptites a future party member will appear, default name Ayla.(You’ll get her on your team soon enough.)
(Feel like leaving? Return to the screen where you dropped in and head up and to the left along the cliff’s edge. You’ll find a ledge at the top that you can jump off and into the Gate.)
Follow Ayla south through the Mystic Mountains. To your left upon hitting the next screen is a chest (they look like green, leafy boxes here) containing a Berserker Ring. South of them is a pack of four Crested Sprinters, best dispatched with magic or other Techs, and past them battles with Kilwalas. These critters are easy to demolish with physical hits. There are two more combos of both to the south, but you can avoid them easily. Note that you get various items - Horns, Petals, Feathers, Fangs - rather than money for killing enemies in 65,000,000 BC; more on that in a bit.
Ioka Village - Market
Head northeast of the Mystic Mountains to find Ioka Village, Ayla’s home. The first two huts are nothing special, though a woman in the hut on the right has ‘happy water’ that will restore your health. (Basically the Inn.)
Head to the northwestern hut in Ioka, the Chief’s Hut. Speaking to Ayla inside will trigger a big party. Wander around and talk to people - you can also dance, if you brought Marle along - then chat with Ayla until she offers you Dreamstone in exchange for winning a drinking contest. Mash the indicated button until Ayla gives in to end the sequence…
… and to wake up the next day with your Gate Key missing. Ouch. No time traveling until you get that puppy back. Visit the Chief's Hut to get Ayla on your team to help with the search. Ayla is the strongest physical hitter in the game, can take almost as much abuse as Robo, moves as quickly as Crono, and doesn’t need any weapons! Pretty danged good. Ayla is a mandatory party member, along with Crono, so you'll need to choose between Marle, Lucca, or Robo for your third member. (And yes, despite the missing Gate Key you can still swap party members as you explore.)
Head to the northeastern hut in Ioka, now that Ayla is in the party. The elderly gentleman inside will give you equipment in exchange for the items you receive from defeated enemies in 65,000,000 BC. You need to give him three of an item, combined with three of another item, to receive one piece of equipment. One of the villagers in the hut will tell you what you'll receive with each trade, but for the sake of simplicity, here's a trading list:
- Petal and Fang - Ruby Gun
- Petal and Horn - Shaman’s Bow
- Petal and Feather - Stone Arm
- Fang and Horn - Mammoth Tusk
- Fang and Feather - Ruby Vest
- Horn and Feather - Stone Helm
At the very least you should get some Ruby Vests for everyone, as they resist Fire attacks. You’ll run into plenty of those soon enough. (You can also purchase items normally from another dude in this same hut. He’s less interesting.)
Looking for more items to purchase all this stuff? There are two other places you can go hunting.
Hunting Grounds - Enemies
To the north of Ioka Village and on the right side of the path is the Hunting Range. Here you’ll find a few enemies that offer decent amounts of Petals, Fangs, Feathers and Horns and put up very little resistance. This is the best place in 65,000,000 BC to stockpile these items.
The greatest prize here, however, is the elusive Nu. Similar to the Cursed Woods you can find Nus in the Hunting Range, though they will only appear during the area's periodic rainstorms. Nus only appear in one of three different locations, so you'll need to camp out in specific spots if you hope to catch one - or dash quickly elsewhere, if your choice was wrong. Consult the map above to see where the Nu can appear.
Defeating the Nu will earn you three Petals, Fangs, Feathers, and Horns, and the first time you beat a Nu you'll receive a Third Eye. You'll also receive 30 TP, which at this point of the game is the most TP you can receive from a single battle.
Dactyl Nest
A short walk west of the Hunting Grounds is the Dactyl Nest, an area that you can access now but don’t really need to enter until later in Chrono Trigger. The enemies here are quite strong and yield lots of experience compared to what you normally battle, but you'll risk a Game Over if you're not careful, as you're three dungeons behind the curve. Still, if you want to give it a try...
Aside from a fellow in the southeastern hut who will give Ayla four Potions, you're done looking around. Head south of Ioka. You’ll find a large cluster of trees surrounding a cave. Approach the northernmost border of the forest to find the Forest Maze. One small cut scene later, you’ll be allowed to enter.
Part Seventeen: Forest Maze, 65,000,000 BC
Part Seventeen: Forest Maze, 65,000,000 BC