The Third Sorceress War, Act III - Terra Rossa

by Kount Xero

It was inevitable, its seeds sown years ago, and now that a line has been crossed, it's come to this. SeeD rises to counter the threat of the sorceress, and the sorceress rises to the challenge... the fated children have to once more go to war, this time against one that used to be one of their own. (Part 7/11 of a series.)

10. The Blitz

"The Third Sorceress War, Act III: Terra Rossa"

9. The Blitz

Above Esthar City, the invisible honeycomb shield fluttered as the Galbadian missiles penetrated it with ease, causing contact points to cause ripples in the air. The missiles, rotating slightly, quickly dispersed upon reaching a certain height and scattered, each one heading towards their individual targets.

Three missiles flew, forming a straight line, for the Presidential Palace. They kept this formation until they detonated, unleashing a lethal volley of mini-missiles along the length of the Palace, each one randomly changing altitude and exploding in the building's flank – a few lucky ones flew in through open windows and detonated inside.

Three missiles, holding a triangle pattern, headed straight for the city center, catching the attention of the more attentive citizens below along the way and relentlessly pursuing their targets. Five seconds to detonation, two of the missiles broke formation and flew in two separate directions. The singular, determined missile exploded mid-air, releasing a hail of mini-missiles to rain down on those watching with awe... watching their end rain from the skies.

The mini-missiles exploded in machine-gun precision, tearing apart concrete, plastiglass, metal alloys, cloth, flesh and bone and incinerating everything in a series of spreading, small explosions. They were accompanied by the two straying missiles that showered the citizens of Esthar and the odd SeeD below them with the same explosive death they had offered. In little more than two seconds, Esthar City center lit up in flying debris and bodies.

A set of two missiles flew down side-by-side until they suddenly separated and flew in a reverse-V, both headed for the two comm-towers rising in the city skyline. Both missiles scored direct hits, demolishing the comm-centers at the towers' bases – the towers toppled not long after, fell in graceful arcs down to the buildings underneath them, trapping unfortunate souls in debris.

Four missiles veered sharply North-Westward, tearing through the air and racing with each other to the Parliament Building. Upon approach, they started to spiral around each other, following a graceful flight pattern until they reached their targeted distance. The missiles rose directly into the air and scattered upon the tipping point – they drew downwards tangents leading unto the same convergence point, and once their paths converged, the rain of mini-missiles crushed the domed building down, reducing it quickly to low walls barely holding up some of the crashing debris.

Other missiles, with their non-specific targets, chose their directions at random, some finding army barracks and power stations, others detonating and drilling holes in the empty spaces of Nortes Mountains – a few even flew into the Sollet Lake. Those that had missed any worthwhile target entirely were few and far between, however, and Esthar City was reduced to a broken, dysfunctional, panic-ridden warzone in under a single minute.

Those watching from the Ocean Garden stood silent and dumbstruck, each remembering the sight they were seeing from the mixture of their memories and their fears. Those who had been there during the Second War recalled the first time the Garden had become mobile; those who had been there during the Trabian Atrocity recalled their home being reduced to ashes; those who had been in the Garden during the ocean disaster recalled the starting point of what their lives had become as of late.

Xu, watching from the bridge, immediately sprang to action and ordered three separate squads to take hovercrafts and find their commanders. She clenched her fists and cursed the sense of urgency that she knew would take over for the conceivable future. Nida, in his corner, started to spool up the engines of the Ocean Garden, a move that earned him the eternal devotion of a very exasperated Xu.

And in the corridors of the Presidential Palace, Selphie Tilmitt opened her eyes, and changed everything.