Virtue Rising

by Ultimoo
ultimoo@aol.com


I was only a lieutenant then. Quite the ignorant lieutenant at that. I reflect upon
my rank, my skills, and my knowledge in comparison to the power I now possess. Those were the days in which I had yet to learn my shocking skills, the days in which I wondered what the Emperor so much as looked like. The days in which I ascended into the wiser, mightier warrior I am today, as I inscribe my early adventures now.

"Lieutenant," the snickering voice of Kefka Palazzo, the Emperor's evincar filled my quarters.

"Call to arms lieutenant! Get your lowly self up off it's behind and report to the Grand Armory at once! Direct orders of the Emperor Gestahl, Evincar Kefka, signing off."

"Yeah, I'll sign you off you whiny bastard," I muttered to myself assuming I was
abandoned of Kefka's prescence.

"I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO REPEAT THAT, LIEUTENANT...,"
Kefka continued to boom.

"REALLY?!!," I challenged brashly, sure of myself that the Evincar was indeed gone. I then forced myself off my cot, donned my Imperial armor, and made my way to the Grand Armory located in the west wing of the Vector Capital Stronghold that served as the Imperial Headquarters. I plunged into thought, sorting through ideas, anticipating what could have befallen the Empire this time. It was then that it became so quiet that the only sound I heard was the pitter-patter of my boots. This only made me more nervous as I took residence in the Armory lineup and awaited the evincar's address.

"Your attention......," Kefka whispered, most likely as an excuse for him to follow it up with a discomforting shout. I could always see under the skin of that snake. And as I rose closer and closer to his rank, I understood more and more that that tainted skin would never shed.

"Our lines....our lead patrol......and most importantly, our top general, Fencross Christophe, have all been decimated on the battlefield by the Resistance," Kefka continued. I couldn't believe it. No one could believe it. I would never forget that day. My father....killed in battle. Of all the people that had any allied affiliation with the Empire....his death would obviously have the most painful impact on myself.

I raised my head from my hands, face to face with an entire army of sympathetic faces.....minus one. Evincar Kefka. Grinning with those rotten, sinewy lips. He came eye to eye with me. I beared my teeth in a grimace and he quickly turned, his cloaks sweeping the air as he returned to the central atrium of the Vectorian Capitol. I stood there staring into space. It seemed like hours. Each and every Imperial soldier had taken their leave from the Grand Armory, as I remained. I must have reflected upon everything I remembered about my father. The memory of that grinning evincar clogged my mind again, and I returned to my quarters, not uttering a word. Of course he was grinning, I thought. My father was the only one aside from the Emperor superior in strength and rank to Kefka. There was no stopping him from becoming Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army now that my father was gone. Or so I thought, as I dozed off into endless nightmares and wonders.

The next morning, I was pleased to wake up to a voice other than that of a scheming weasel. To my surprise, and honor it was the Emperor himself. He ordered me to return to the Grand Armory once again for another announcement, this time without a weapon.

"Are all the soldiers--," the Emperor was gone before I could question him. I then repeated the question, in my mind. Are all the soldiers being personally ordered by the Emperor himself? Just how important is this? Why was I asked to leave behind my weapon? I cleared my head, and headed to the Grand Armory unarmed as I had been instructed. As I had expected, all of the other soldiers were there. So naturally, I took my place.

"Hey, Leo," someone whispered to me, I wasn't quite sure if I really heard my name so I ignored it. "Lieutenant Cristophe!," I turned to see my comrade Lieutenant Lloyd Jameson, "Sorry about your father, do you know what we're all here for?"

"I have no clue," I answered, "It must be deeply important considering the Emperor
personally ordered us."

"Huh?!," Lloyd responded, "You were personally directed by the Emperor?!"

"Yes, and you were not?," I continued. Before Lloyd could respond, the assembly
fell silent, and a tall, graying man in the finest wardrobe I've ever seen made his way to the podium. It could only be the fabled face behind the entire Empire. My command
was to be addressed by Emperor Gestahl himself. Everyone fell to one knee at the realization of his prescence. Heads hung low. However, I managed to catch a glimpse of the Evincar taking the Emperor's immediate right side. Not being able to stand the sight of him, my head returned to a bowed position. The Emperor spoke.

"Greetings, my Imperial Army," the Emperor started. "I am assured that you all have been informed of our lead general's demise at the hands of the enemy. That is why the day has come for us to choose a new military commander." My head rose at those words. The Evincar sneered. He knew that no one before him in the assembly
matched his strength. His speed. His power. Instead of the caring leadership of my father, I would now have to face training at the hands of Kefka's ruthless dictatorship. I also noticed that every other soldier in the room had a weapon in their sheath. This only puzzled me more. My train of thought returned to the concept of Kefka in complete control of me. I thought to myself, how many pushups? How early? How much of his shit would I be able to take? I was powerless. I just hung my head in sorrow. I hadn't been paying much attention to the Emperor, he was speaking more of the credentials for our "great" new leader.

The Emperor continued, "We need a warrior who will have a passion to destroy the enemy. A passion to make up for all of the Empire's losses. A passion to make sure the Empire does not suffer another loss. A passion for revenge towards our greatest casualties. That is why I have personally chosen our new military commander.
That is why...." Everyone fell silent, and even before the Emperor finished his sentence, Evincar Kefka rose to accept his new position. My head fell forward once again at this sight, and the Emperor climactically finished his announcement. "I have chosen Lieutenant Leo Cristophe as new General of the Imperial Army." I exploded from my kneeling position into a stance of attentive shock. "He will make a fine replacement, and is without a doubt the closest to the original Supreme Commander in more ways than one. Come General Leo, accept your destiny."

"Ahh...," I couldn't move a muscle. The only image my eyes could find was that of Kefka, his teeth clenched in the fiercest grimmace I had ever seen, his teeth repeatedly slipping over his bottom lip. Of course at the sight of this an ear to ear smile emerged from my look of shock. Suddenly, I was consumed with confidence. Approaching the Emperor, I shook Kefka's seething hand on the way. Out of sheer spite, in fact.

"These are the times that try men's souls," Emperor Gestahl reached into his robe, and by the blade, unsheathed my father's legendary Crystal Sword. If I can remember correctly, it was said to be a mythical, supernatural weapon, the blade supposedly made from the scales of an amethyst dragon. The Emperor's orders to me in my quarters earlier on. They all fell into place as I placed the blade into my empty sheath.

"My--honor....," was all that I could utter. A broken message of gratitude to the Emperor.

"You may take your leave General Cristophe," the Emperor granted me a reception to my quarters. Imperial caps flew as I stepped down from the platform. Not a soul could touch General Leo Cristophe as he made his way back to his quarters.

"How long will I enjoy this??," I said aloud to myself as I lay on my cot. My pessimistic consciene was all too observant of fate. I would only enjoy this relaxation for so long. The next morning would see my fiercest battle.

* * *


An obscure atmosphere greeted me as I trekked forth towards the Emperor's throne,
battle-ready, and ready to be battle-hardened. The Emperor abruptly instructed me upon my arrival to...well, instruct my new army. It occurred to me then that I did not quite know how to instruct an army of over 250,000 soldiers. Luckily, I was always a man of vision, and more important to the moment, improvision. I reached for my father's blade, ready for a battle cry and an explosion of good morale. I soon discovered that I was reaching for air.

"What is it?," the Emperor's inquiry only caused me more anxiety.

"I will return shortly," I swiftly marched off the Imperial platform, leaving a flabbergasted Emperor to an army of irate nervous soldiers.

"Doma troops have already penetrated the infantry, there is no time to lose!!!," the Emperor barked as I dashed through the dark halls, back to my quarters. I did not make it far before crashing into a familiar obstruction.

"Halt!," I bellowed, tackling the figure towards a source of light. Struggling on the ground, the sounds of battle filtered through the windows of Vector Capitol. As usual, light leads to revelation. The hands of Kefka clasped the hilt of my father's Crystal Sword, hammering forward towards my exposed skull. I clutched at the vile evincar's wrist, thrusting my boot into his gut. I proceeded to make off with the blade down the hall, leaving a dumbfounded Kefka crippling in pain. A brief distraction of blood splattering against the window, once again interfered with my course of action. One obstruction lead to another, and it was now obvious that I needed a shortcut.

"General Leo!!," a battle worn Lieutenant Lloyd observed in amazement as I crashed through the second story window onto the battle field, hammering down two enemy soldiers before my soles touched the soil. The abandonment of my army had faded away from the mind of the Emperor, conspicuous as I saw the look of satisfaction on his face. He observed my ferocity in battle, slaying those who were repsonsible for a most personal casualty. An extraordinarily large soldier steadily advanced as I prepared my weapon to engage him. Still in a berserk frame of mind, I slashed at my foe. He hit the ground before my glowing blade even struck him.

Doma troops began to grow fewer and fewer on the battlefield, the Vectorian army at an all-time morale high, clearly as a result of my dramatic fighting. I quickly noticed a concentration of Doma troops across the field, curses sputtering from their direction.
Of course I proceeded to level them with the aide of my sword, in rescue of my comrade....Kefka?

"You manky bastard, stop staring at me and let me die!!," Kefka cried in a blood laden
request. Something just conceived inside me, at that moment. I would swear to this day it was the spirit of my father. Only he would do something like this, saving the life of even his most devious enemy. I slumped Kefka over my shoulder and hurried towards the capitol building.

"Take your filthy hands off me!!!," Kefka's efforts to be rescued by someone other than myself were futile. Two blades clashed over my ducked head. "Yes, destroy him!," Kefka was bickering to the Doma troop, ordering my death as I still tried to rescue him.
I decked the Doma soldier in the gut and a nearby comrade ended the stalemate with an uppercut broad sword blow. Morale decreased as I disappeared from the battlefield,
but the battle had already been won.

* * *


"How do you appreciate your new General, Vector Capitol!!," the Emperor's rusted voice bellowed over a loudspeaker as the armies of Vector marched through the streets, led by myself, mounted on a highly decorated Imperial Chocobo. Confetti blinded me as I was publicly commended for my heroic deeds on the battlefield. It is times in the present that make me regret some of those very deeds.

I have just been informed that Kefka has been responsible for poisoning Doma Castle. Some of their prisoners from the last battle were not released. When the Emperor forgives a single Vectorian death, I begin to doubt the good cause of the Empire, and the true value of my position. It is indeed, a shame that Kefka still has a foothold in the politics of the Empire, despite the fact that he tried to kill me in that dark hall, on that dark day. Perhaps I had made the greatest mistake of my life; saving Kefka in what was still to this day, my fiercest battle.