Skies of Arcadia: Darkmoon Legacy
Note From the Author
The following story is derived from a game design by the same author. While this game design is little more than an idea at the present, the author hopes that one day it may become a reality.
All characters, locations, and things pertaining to the original Skies of Arcadia video game are copyrights of Sega and Overworks. Everything else is property of the author.
Prologue
Flying high above a vast ocean of hot sand was an airship patrolling the region. Not just any airship, but a battleship armed with all the cannons and weaponry it can carry for the sake of defending the border of its nation. The ruler of this desert land demanded several of these ships to patrol the border of his kingdom, for he dreaded the thought of persistent thieves that may slip into the cities unnoticed and rob the kingdom of its riches. The battleships were intended to not only stop travelers from illegally entering and leaving the nation, but also to defend against Air Pirates, and now one particular ship was under siege by a group of them.
These pirates had their own ship and cannons to fight with, and when they got the two ships close enough, the crew would jump onto the deck of the patrol ship to take over. The crew of the defending ship ran out on deck as well, and a vicious clash of steel ensued.
Most of the Air Pirates traditionally fought with the cutlass, but a handful of them, the captain included, used guns to fight their foes. As the battle raged on, it became known that a particular member of the team stood out from the others in terms of fighting prowess. He was able to dodge, parry, sunder, and strike with ease, seemingly blessed with insect-like reflexes.
This talented swordsman was also quite young in comparison to his fellow raiders, not even old enough to legally consume alcoholic beverages for another two years. Thus, he was made more distinguishable from his kin by wearing a maroon uniform with the clan emblem proudly displayed on the chest: a large bird with feathers of fire. These Air Pirates called themselves the Phoenix Clan.
The captain made his way through the brawl to the youth, occasionally stopping to shoot down a defender. "Cysma…have you seen Nira anywhere?"
"I don't know, Vince. She might have gone below deck." The youth replied.
"By herself?" We have to find her!"
So then Captain Vince and his crewman Cysma made a break for it in the action and dashed below deck, cutting their way through the soldiers pouring out of the door.
"She may have headed for the bridge." The captain suggested, inferring that they head there.
The two fought their way through the hull of the ship and advanced to the bridge to find a girl about Cysma's age, dressed in silver uniform and carrying a wooden staff.
"Nira! Why did you go off on your own like that? What were you thinking?" The captain shouted, sounding a tad frustrated.
"Who is that?" Nira didn't answer the captain's question, but was curious about the figure that just killed the captain of the ship, not to mention everyone else on the bridge. The person wore brown from head to toe and not one ounce of flesh could be seen. He carried a gun in each hand and intended to kill the Air Pirates as well.
The three dodged the first round of the killer's bullets and charged in to attack. Cysma swung vigorously at the man with his sword, Nira her staff, and the captain stood at a distance to fight with his own gun.
But he was far too nimble to be hit, and wouldn't hold still. Nira put her hands together as an aura of red light glowed around her. When she spoke the word "Pyri", a series of flaming spheres burst from her hand at her adversary.
The man with two guns was not quick enough to react, and a fireball struck his hand, causing him to drop his weapons. Now disarmed, the figure jumped into the air and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Huh? Who was that? Where did he go?" Nira and everyone were full of questions such as this. After a few minutes of investigation, they found no answers.
Captain Vince looked out the bridge window and to the deck. The original owners of the ship were gone, and the pirates were waving their weapons in the air in victory.
"Mission accomplished." He smiled, "Let's take what we want and head back home."
