Author: Cyhirae

Notes: It's been ages since I wrote anything for SoA..my last piece being "The Nameless Soldiers". In the reviews about it- someone suggested I do a story from one of their PoVs. So..here you are. For the record- this character will never be named and this "story" will follow the game for now- just showing it from eyes of someone not involved with Vyse and Co. It is done in journal style as these are meant to show the soldier's side, not be an action/adventure story (though I may insert actual story segments if inspiration hits accordingly).

If well recieved- I may expand it out into it's own little sidestory (in which I'll reveal his name), otherwise it's going to be three or four installments long only. This first one is just to introduce you to how he thinks and takes place just ahead of/during the game start. And yes. Spoilers, spoilers and more spoilers- nor is SoA, Valua and all affiliated characters mine. Just this 'nameless' boyo is.

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The First Entry

You could say one thing about life on a valuan ship: It was interesting. Dangerous, filled with backstabbing opportunists, and always under awareness of how tempting a mark you were to pirates...but I could never, in all my days, call it boring. A pity we don't get hazard pay- I'd be richer than the richest noble in all of Valua and have my family eating soft, sweet cake with jam off of gold gilt plates made of marble!

Valua will never allow such a thing, though...that would simply destroy it to admit that one of us poor, near-beasts in the lower city could aspire to the same heights as the nobles. So long as I'm a part of it- well I can improve our lot..perhaps raise my family up enough some overbearing, fat and lazy noble will hire them on as servants. You tend to keep your servants well fed after all- well fed, nicely clothed..so they aren't an embarrassment. Nor are they sent back to lower Valua at the end of the day, oh no! They'd bring the reek of the lower city back with them come the next day.

It might seem sad to you that I think longingly of sending my wife and children off to pander to some worthless noble's needs- but it's really the best future for them as things are- and if I get a good record here, on this ship, I can ask for a transfer into such a household as a guard. No more risky missions out here with pirates hiding behind every cloud...And I'd see them every day.

Good food, a strong roof overhead, and a safe place to raise my son and daughter. What more could anyone- Valuan or otherwise- possibly want? Unfortunately, that wasn't what I had nor what I was likely to ever get. If the Black Pirates weren't bad enough- those damned Blue Rogues had to go and add to the trouble. And even worse? They acted like they were doing a good thing!

What's so good about snatching food out of my family's mouth and putting it in someone else's? I'd rather deal with Black Pirates any day- they at least admitted what they were: Thieves and worthless bandits, stealing whatever they could get their hands on. The Blue Rogues called themselves heroes, though...the ones who 'dared to stand' against Valua and raid our ships.

Like it's hurting Valua to lose a few shipments here and there- it is hurting us though. Do they think we get off scott free if they take what they want and let the ship go? Hah! I'd sincerely like to know what kind of loqua they've been drinking- it must be pressed near the Dark Rift the way it's addled their brains. If you can't adequately defend a ship, and have the poor taste to return alive- well. Then you were alive to work off the debt you earned losing your cargo and equipment. Your family could just wait until you had paid back what you lost to the empress. Once that was done- well, back to normal for you, don't mess up again.

Those oh so heroic Blue Rogues were one of two leading causes why me and my fellows will never see a good roof over our heads, decent food on our tables. The thought behind what they're doing is nice in theory, but for being such do-gooder types, they're beyond short sighted, let me tell you! Still, I suppose it really doesn't matter to them. In this armor, we're all just valuan soldiers.

They can't see our faces, they don't know our names...they have no idea what waits for us, probably, when we return with an empty ship. But even knowing that..it's hard to forgive them. I hate them even more than the black pirates for their smug "I've done a good deed!" attitude after raiding us... Maybe one day, I'll corner one and find out just what's so 'good' about condenming us to lives of debt and watching our families chew on rock-hard black bread and drink filthy, stale water.

It'll probably never happen..or they'll never believe me...but at least I can be happy knowing I got to one of them and put it to them finally.

And offhandedly...if you think desertion is an option- I really advise you to think again, whoever you are that reads this. If it were that easy to get away from Valua- don't you think we all would? If I run off- I'm leaving behind my friends and family..and I'll be a hunted man. And where would I go even if I didn't care about those I'd be leaving? Nasr? Oh they'd love that! Nasr and Valua are not friends- never will be! Or perhaps you think I should go to Sailor's Island. I may as well just turn myself back into Valua the minute I escape then for all the good that would do.

Become a pirate? Hah! I try not to practice hypocrisy, thanks. Death of myself or my family as a whole will happen before any of the above happens.

Speaking of happenings...I can hear the canons firing. Our esteemed "Admiral" Alfonso must have found what he was looking for. Time to put this away- the last thing I need is for my shift commander to come in demanding me on duty for this little hunt and finding me with this. Stealing a logbook just to keep a journal will probably get me a ticket to the colliseum if caught..but I need to vent somewhere.

You understand, don't you? Anyway- off I go. Perhaps I'll have something interesting to write about afterward.

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Short, I know. ; they'll get longer as we get into the actual story.