Bright orange flames spewed upwards from the ground at the Nasarad
port. The Valua Armada has just attacked the
Royal Palace and everything in it's wake. Countless
lives were lost in the bombardment from the Valua Warships.
Men and women lay slain in the streets and young children lay bleeding to
death along side them. The air smelled of
fire and death.
Vyse and his fellow Blue Rouges, Aika, Fina and Gilder, watched the
masses burn to the ground as their mouths dropped in awe.
They had tried to warn the King of the Armada's impending attack, but
it was no use. He was so sure that the Armada
wouldn't get through. But the Nasarad
forces never fired a single shot.
No..! I can't
believe this is happening! Aika looked
around, trying to find out what to do. Fina
clamped her hand onto Vyse's, looking for some sense of comfort in the wake of this
madness. Squeezing her hand tightly, Vyse
felt rage and anger consume him. He looked around the port for the man responsible.
Who did this?! Which
Admiral is responsible?! His voice was
full of despair and anger. His eyes watched
the flames of the attack burn all in it's wake.
All that the Nasarad people worked for was gone. Suddenly a deep voice answered Vyse.
From
behind a wall of flames, Ramirez, the newest Admiral of the Imperial Armada emerged,
holding a long, silver sword in his hand. His
silver hair swayed in the winds. His body was
unharmed by the fire around him and he only offered a smile to Vyse as he walked closer,
all of the medals on his chest dangling with each step.
Vyse
spoke his name slowly, his eyes narrowing on him. He
gripped his cutlasses in each hand and prepared for battle.
All of this destruction was because of him.
It was that thought and that thought alone that circled trough Vyse's
mind.
I'll give you this choice only once. Surrender now, or I will kill you. Hand over the Green and Red Moon Crystals... Ramirez extended his left hand towards them. Vyse grinded his teeth and prepared to fight him,
not willing to give up the Crystals that had worked so hard for. Suddenly, Fina gripped Vyse's arm, holding
him back.
Vyse! He is too
strong! You can't beat him now...! Fina's voice was filled with worry and
concern. He tugged on Vyse, now wanting him
to leave her. But Vyse only kept on moving,
letting his arm slip free from Fina's grip. He
looked back to her and the rest of his crew.
I have to try! I
can't let him get away with this! Fina
brought her hands close to her chest and looked to the ground. She had never been so scared in her life. Aika made her way to Fina's side giving her
some sense of comfort as she and Gilder watched Vyse walk closer to Ramirez. Ramirez only smiled brighter, entering his
fighting stance, holing his sword outright. His
eyes burned a hole right into him and he spoke to Vyse with his trademark deep voice.
This
was exactly what Ramirez wanted. He wanted to
fight the famous Vyse the Fearless... He
gripped his silver sword with his right hand and smiled.
Vyse
stopped a good three yards away from Ramirez. He
entered his stance and looked Ramirez down. They
stood there in the flames, silent. Only the
occasional sound of and explosion of the flames could be heard. But above that, Fina's soft sobs could be
heard as well. Vyse gripped his cutlasses
hard, as he looked Ramirez down.
Come, Blue Rouge... FIGHT!! Vyse snapped.
He rushed towards the Admiral and jumped in the air, shouting a Blue Rouge
war cry. He brought the swords downward and
landed on his feet. Looking up he gasped. He was gone.
Suddenly, Vyse felt an immense pain in his backside. Ramirez had his Vyse with the hilt of his sword
and sent him flying forward, hitting the ground hard.
Vyse lay there on his stomach for a moment, formulating a plan. But he had no time to think as Ramirez was soon
looming over him. Vyse turned over and
gasped, awed by the man's speed. Suddenly,
Ramirez swung his sword across Vyse's chest, slicing his blue uniform and sending
blood splattering to the ground. Vyse
screamed aloud and fell back as Ramirez loomed over his body. Fina screamed and her voice shattered the air
around her. Using that sound as a last
effort, Vyse's body sprung into action. He
jumped up in his feet and rushed blindly at Ramirez, swinging his swords. This time he connected. He could feel his cutlasses rip into his chest and
he jumped into the air and performed his signature move, Cutlass Fury. Shouting at the top of his lungs, he brought his
weapons onto Ramirez, slicing him down the chest. Panting
heavily, Vyse stayed on his knees and looked up to Ramirez to inspect the damage.
Heh heh. Ramirez
just stood there, looking down at the Blue Rouge. His
body showed no signs of wounds and his face still had that evil, sinister look on it. Vyse's mouth opened wide as he watched
Ramirez bring his sword to Vyse's left arm, cutting deep into his skin. His warm blood fell to the ground, making a trail
downward. Vyse felt his body hit the ground
with a sickening thud. His body was broken in
half. Blood spewed out of every canyon that
Ramirez had cut. Laying there his eyes slowly
started to flicker. His vision was blurred as he looked up to the man who had defeated
him. Ramirez stood there over the Blue Rouge,
smiling to himself. Vyse stammered as he
asked the only question on his mind.
H...how... did you...
His question was silenced by the laughter of the madman. Aika, Fina and Gilder stood there, in awe at the
power of Ramirez. Fina stared to cry softly,
looking down at Vyse. His bravery was unbound
and his heart the same way. She
couldn't bare the sight and looked away and fell into Aika's arms. Suddenly a legion of Armada troopers ran towards
the Blue Rouges, pointing swords at them. It
was over. The Armada had captured them. Vyse slammed the floor with his fist, clutching
his cutlasses still. He knew he should have
listened to Fina now. He let his anger get to
him.
Thank you for the little exercise, weakling. The Armada will take you now. Right away, troopers came to Vyse and picked him
up. His painful cries echoed into the air as
the troopers beat him and drug him away, along with the rest of his friends.
Ramirez looked to the shattered Nasarad. He smiled to himself. Gripping his blood stained sword in his hand, he
sheathed it and laughed.
Vyse looked to Fina as they were being dragged away. His face was that of a helpless boy that seeked
comfort. He held his hand out to her. She did the same, but the troopers pulled them
apart. As they were being thrown into the
awaiting ships of the Armada, Vyse spoke his only promise to Fina.
I will rescue you...! I
promise! And the doors of the ships
slammed shut.
[BACK TO SKIES OF ARCADIA]
