This story belongs to me and my creative mind. However most of the characters, names, and places mentioned all belong to their respective companies, so don't yell at me for copyright infringements! If it offends you in any manner, sorry, and if it doesn't, then don't complain. Remember, Italics represent a person's thoughts or the telling of past events.
Enjoy...
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Final Fantasy VI: Honor Guard
"Heh, nothing can beat the sound of hundreds of people screaming in unison!" General Kefka muttered.
He slowly tilted a barrel of purplish liquid into a nearby stream, watching with delight as it quickly spread up and down stream. A few minutes ago, the original General that was leading the attack against the rebellious kingdom of Doma forbade Kefka from using poisons. He was summoned back to the capital of their homeland, Vector, by a simple note and a well forged signature from Kefka. Once the man was gone, he was free to do anything he wanted to without fear of repercussion. If anything else, he could blame it on the intruder that attacked him twice, a scapegoat that could not be traced for questioning.
"General Leo is too weak to use effective measures to make sure Doma suffers! This will wipe them out for sure! Ha ha!" Kefka laughed aloud.
He again looked at the river, seeing that the purple poison was quickly working its way along the river, heading for its ultimate destination inside the Doma castle. Try as he might to restrain himself, he burst out laughing, thinking about the painful deaths the people inside would suffer within a few minutes.
*****
On the highest point of Doma castle, a war torn guard of the king stood in silent observation of the nearby enemy camp. He was lucky, having spent most of his time in the open plains of Doma, his eyes were well adjusted to seeing long distances. Far off in the Empire's imperial camp, he picked out large amounts of Magitek armor being moved around with other metal weapons. Also there were large formations of soldiers lined up by the edge of the campground.
What the hell are they up to?
"Cyan, come take a look at this!" He called out to the other man with him.
The man turned and came to his side, placing a hand across his brow to block the afternoon sun from his eyes. He was the retainer of the kingdom, official guard of the king himself, and needed to know as much about the enemy as possible. He shifted in his blue armor, the metal plates shifting across his clothing as his legs moved to raise his view ever so slightly.
"The enemy camp seems to be very active." The guard mentioned.
"Yes it is, Tren, but why give formation to a march when they hath little ability to get past these walls."
"Maybe they anticipate an early surrender by us, or will try another attack of the walls."
"Hardly, it would be dishonorable to surrender to them, we shall fight to the death!"
"You seem eager to keep thine honor intact, Cyan."
"No, just ready to defend the honor of our liege."
Cyan and Tren continued to watch as the Empire's soldiers and Magitek armor continued to form up into a sizeable force outside the camp. However, not a single soldier strayed to Doma. They all seemed to be waiting for a signal or time before advancing.
"Hmm, now." Cyan began. "Does the river seem to be of an odd coloration to you, Tren?"
Tren looked at the river that passed through their castle to provide water and some food, and he noticed that it was becoming tinged in purple. Suddenly an ear piercing scream shocked them both, and they looked to the left and saw a guard grip his throat and collapse. Then another guard close by began choking, and he fell backwards off the wall to crack his head open on the stone. Cyan began to sweat as his ears began picking up more screams, and his arms began trembling as he looked and saw guards die left and right.
"W-what is this!?" Tren sputtered.
"It can only be...POISON!" Cyan yelled.
"Everyone close to the water is dying, we must-"
"Our Liege!" Cyan yelled.
Tren quickly got his legs in motion, running as fast as he could back to the overhanging stone and through a door to the interior of the castle. He leapt down a set of stairs, landing harshly and waiting for Cyan to catch up to him. Cyan coughed slightly as he smelt the poison in the air, but he didn't react any further.
"Vile spirits, the poison has done its work. We shant fear it for it has gone and cannot harm us." He declared, giving Tren a bit of ease.
Cyan turned and dashed forwards down a side hall to the main hall, then ran and threw open the large doors that closed off the king's chambers. Tren wandered around the main hall, looking at the various people and guards of the castle lying dead in pools of their own blood.
Poor souls, they never understood what happened to them. Never had a chance to escape such a painful and mortal poison. But to use poison on a castle full of innocent people, who would stoop so low as that?
Tren heard a violent cough come from the King's chamber, and he rushed to it, praying that his lord and liege was alive and unharmed. Once inside, he looked at Cyan's face and gathered then answer from his pained expression.
"Our liege..." Tren began.
"Has passed on. Come, let us look for survivors of this cowardly attack."
Cyan and Tren exited the king's chamber, and they split up, heading for the upper areas that had rooms for the citizens of Doma, and lower chambers that held the guards and a small bar. Tren wandered down the hall, seeing the occasional dead body curled up in the fetal position on the carpet, dead. After a minute of walking he came to the door that lead to the guard's resting chambers, where he knew many of them were resting, wounded in the previous attacks against the castle.
Should I go in? I know that there are going to be so many dead people there, so many bleeding corpses that will stare into the air. But, maybe someone survived, if they covered their mouths and nose with sheets the poison might not have hit them as harshly! I've got to see!
Tren grabbed the handle to the door, and he was about to open it when he heard more nagging doubts enter his mind.
No, they can't be alive. Not after this. I'm just setting up more illusions to convince me that this tragedy didn't happen. But...if I don't open the door, I'll never know. If I do and see then all dead, I will snap, it will be too much to take! Damned if I do, and damned if I don't! Hell, I will die once the Empire comes, nothing to lose!
Tren threw open the door and looked inside, and he almost died of shock after seeing that it looked unaffected. He walked inside, and didn't smell a trace of the poison, and there weren't bloodied bodies lying on the carpet. But he stopped a moment, they didn't look dead, but they didn't look alive either. Tren walked to a bed with a guard in it, the sheets covering most of his body and face, and he placed a pale hand across the sheet. He gathered his courage, and tore the sheet off the man with a violent motion, and proceeded to scream when he saw the man. He was covered in sores already, blood seeping out of his nose, mouth, eyes, and every orifice in his body, all leaking blood into the mattress. Tren began running up and down the aisles of beds, tearing off the sheets and seeing a bloody corpse under each of them. Once the final body was uncovered, Tren stood still in the center of the room, breathing ragged with exhaustion and fear. Every last guard that was in the room was dead, making up most of the entire Domain honor guard of the King.
Bastards, they would kill without honor! They will feel my wrath...
Tren tried to move, but found that he had to use all his strength to pull his legs one in front of the other to the door. He walked out of the room and closed the door, locking away all the bodies from view. He tried taking another step, but his legs turned to jelly and he fell backwards into the door, sliding down it and not willing to try and stop himself. Suddenly he heard footfalls, and Cyan came rushing down the hall towards him, skipping over the bodies in the way.
"Tren, what happened? What caused you to scream aloud?"
"Y-you don't want to k-know what's in t-there, Cyan. I-its inhumane, t-they're all d-dead and c-covered in t-their own blood."
Cyan's arms went limp, and he tried to conceal his surprise and fear, but it wasn't easily stopped and he felt his face screw into itself. He gripped the hilt of his katana tightly, his arm quaking and his knuckles white under the pressure of his grip.
"Tren, you can stay here, I will go and gain our lost honor back in battle." He said smoothly.
"But what of your family, are they well?"
Cyan scowled darkly, his arm now drawing his katana out by instinct, and he wrestled with his body to keep control in front of the last Dome guard alive.
"They perished, but not without revenge!" He declared loudly.
Cyan drew his blade out and dashed back to the main hall, running with an unnatural energy that frightened Tren as much as the dead bodies.
God no, he abandoned me in this castle of the dead...left me to fend off the eventual assault by the Empire's Magitek core...
Tren didn't move for a long time, his body unable to move due to the absolute fear that permeated his very being. After sitting still for so long, he barely managed to work his anger past his fear, using it as a motivator to get up and regain his courage and strength. He slid his back up against the wall, using it as a prop for his body as his legs slowly pushed his back to his full height. After a minute of deep breathing, he pushed off and began walking again, holding his arms out as balance for his weak knees. Tren kept this up until he finally fell down by a statue of a previous guard in the main hall. He looked outside at the scenery behind the massive main walls. Bodies were piled up on the stone and also floating lazily in the purpled waters.
Even if I can stand again, I can't walk by all those bodies, it will unnerve me for sure! But, I am honor bound to try...
Tren stood up again, this time using his sword and scabbard as a crutch for his body, and he slowly made his way out of the main hall and to the courtyard of the dead. He kept his eyes fixed to the main gates, both of which were opened and unguarded due to Cyan's haste to see his revenge through. Tren didn't dare to stop, he feared that his quaking legs would completely give out, leaving him stranded amidst the dead.
Gods, don't let me be stuck here with all these poisoned bodies!
Tren took another gasp of air and continued to move, careful to not touch any of the bodies for fear of the poison's effects.
I have to get through and fight, there isn't anything or anyone else for me to defend here. My friends and allies, superiors and subordinates, my wife...all gone...I haven't a soul left to defend, only their honor.
Suddenly Tren heard a distant explosion, and he focused his view to the imperial campground outside the castle to see what it was. In the distance, the barest reaches of smoke began to drift from the interior of the camp, and he saw that the majority of their soldiers were already marching towards Doma.
Yes! Cyan must be causing that! And with the main forces gone, he can level their camp with ease! He did it, struck the final blow to the Empire's army. All that is left is for me to wait for the m,ain forces to come, so that I may fight them with honor and die in glorious combat...
Tren felt his pride swell as he heard explosion after explosion at the camp, and saw numerous trails of smoke spill into the air above the camp. He snapped out of his trance and saw that he was already at the castle wall, and was now standing in the center of the main gates arch. Tren stood up fully, and he drew out his katana and held it at ready, tossing his scabbard aside and waited patiently for the Empire to arrive.
*****
"Uwee hee hee! The poison killed them all!" Kefka giggled madly.
"Actually Sir, there seems to be a Domain guard at the gate. He looks like he is waiting for us..." A nearby soldier spoke nervously.
"Hmm? Let me see!" He ordered.
The soldier passed him a magnifying scope, and Kefka extended it and indeed saw a worn out guard holding a sword and ready to fight. He giggled again, collapsed the scope and tossed it to the soldier, then began a fast walk to the castle.
"General Kefka, where are you going!?"
"Why, to kill that guard, you simpleton! I most enjoy fighting those who are so very weak, it makes me squeal with delight! Uwee hee!"
Kefka kept up his walk, and he reached the gates within a few minutes along with the entire division of his Magitek armor and regiment of soldiers. He raised up his arm and waved them back, and they all stopped quickly. Kefka smiled deviously, obviously pleased to have all that power under his thumb. The guard didn't seem impressed, he only lowered his sword level with Kefka's face.
"Come to die, Empire scum! I won't surrender to the likes of you!" The guard issued.
"Oh good, then I don't have a reason not to kill you!" Kefka retorted.
He drew out a long handled mace from a colorful sash around his waist, and he unfurled the chain and let it hand before him, spiked ball swinging with a lethal intent. The guard made a loud yell and began charging Kefka, who only looked on with a sinister glare. The guard's sword came arcing down, and Kefka quickly brought up his mace and blocked with his handle, then used his other arm to deliver a punch to his armored chest. The guard took the punch with ease, his armored cloth holding up against the hit. Kefka bit his lip, the cloth was thick and hard, making his knuckles ache, but he forced a smile and a laugh. He thrust his mace forwards, knocking the guard off balance, and within a moment swung the mace at the guard and sent him down with a loud crack. Kefka pulled his mace away and held it to his face, and he laughed again when he saw blood on the spikes. The guard managed to get onto his hands and knees, breathing hard due to the powerful blow.
"Aw, did I hurt you?" Kefka asked.
He walked to the guard and gave him a brutal kick, rolling the guard back and onto the grass, trying to keep awake. Kefka laughed again, this time much deeper than before.
"Don't tell me you're going to quit! If you don't fight me, it will make me sad..."
Kefka pulled a hand close to his face, and he whispered a few words into his palm, and a red light began shining from his hand. He then pointed it at the guard, and he was lit on fire instantly. He stood up and began flailing about madly, his screams muffled by the roaring fire and by Kefka's insane laughter. Kefka then began spinning his mace around, and made numerous tricks and other spins with it to show off his mastery of the mace to his men. He then dashed forwards, and with a vicious spin of the heel, sent the spiked ball whistling through the air and into the guard's head. The heavy ball completely decapitated the guard, and his blood was thankfully blocked out of view by the fires as his body fell to the grass. Kefka placed the bloody mace back into his sash, and he held out his palm and created a blue light in it this time. He cast the spell, and a white line raced across his body and shot up in a blue pillar of light, freezing the guard's body and extinguishing the flames. He walked to the body and searched for the missing head, and once he found it he held it up before him.
"And I get angry when people make me sad." He finished.
Kefka gave the head a toss into the air, and he then cast a third spell, and a lightning bolt shot from the sky and hit the flying head, frying it into blackened flesh.
"Alright! All soldiers get into the castle and clear out the place of the bodies, Magitek soldiers can do as they please, destroy the castle walls, or something...Move out!"
Kefka began walking back to the campground, fingering his ponytail and feather idly.
"That's the problem with Domain guards. No sense of humor! Uwee hee hee!"
Kefka continued laughing loudly while the Empire's soldiers began dragging out the corpses to be burnt by the Magitek armors fire beams. Everyone ignored the guard who was killed by Kefka, he was punished enough by the madman. Smoke began drifting from the castle walls, the Empire continuing is campaign against everyone who defied their rule.
*****
"Hey Cyan, where is your castle located?" Sabin asked.
"To the northwest from here. Why do ask?"
"Because I might not be hallucinating when I say there seems to be smoke coming from it."
Cyan looked back and saw that there was smoke rising from the castle, but he did bother making a comment about it. He knew that his kingdom was finished the instant that guard spotted the Empire making arrangements to attack.
"You gonna be okay?" Sabin asked.
"Yes, I thank thee for thy concern. However I knew of my kingdoms passing as soon as an ally saw them coming. I was fooling myself by saying that they might have survived, but know I know better than that. Come, let us continue towards the Barren falls."
Cyan and Sabin continued walking, giving a final glance towards a once glorious kingdom.