Author's Note: Just to warn you before you read, there's
some violence and gore in this chapter. I'm thinking maybe I need to up the
rating for this fic up to PG-13. You guys let me know in reviews after reading
it.
Chapter 3 – Are You Serious?
The vessels containing a large number of Galbadian
soldiers began its journey to the Esthar colony of Fisherman's Horizon. All of
the soldiers were uncomfortable because they were crammed closed together in
the boats. "I dunno how much longer I can stay like this! How much longer is it
to Fisherman's Horizon?" Laguna complained.
"Calm
down, man. It's only been ten minutes," Kiros said.
"You
had to know you'd be doing these sorta things a lot when you joined, right?
Speaking of which, to me you don't seem like the kinda guy who just joins the
army for service to their country. Was there any other reason why you decided
to become a Galbadian soldier?" Ward inquired curiously.
"Well,
to tell you guys the truth, I don't really have much of a desire to fight or
anything like that," Laguna responded.
"So
why are you here then?" Kiros asked.
"Well,
growing up, I always wanted to travel the world and tell everyone about what I
saw. I figured journalism was just the thing for me, but I never did that well
in school. I did just enough to pass and get by. After I graduated, I wanted to
go to some academy that could help me live out my dream through journalism, but
I had no money, and my grades just plain sucked. I vowed I was gonna travel
around the world one way or another. I ended up joining the army because it was
my best chance of doing that. That's why I'm here," Laguna revealed.
"That's
interesting, but do you think you'll be able to handle all these demands and
stuff? It's pretty rough," Kiros commented.
"I'm
not sure. I get so nervous under pressure, and whenever that happens, my legs
cramp up really bad. I guess it's good that I'm cramped everywhere right now so
I can't tell how uneasy I am. I think it's better for me to just not know.
Anyway, you got my reasons for being here. Why don't you guys tell me why
you're here?" Laguna suggested.
"Things
got boring at home and I couldn't stand it anymore. I'm here for some
excitement and I hope I get some!" Ward explained.
"I
don't really know why I'm here. Just had the urge to sign up one day, so I
did," Kiros simply remarked.
The
three continued to talk, learning new things about one another and building a
strong friendship in the process. After some time, the boats stopped abruptly.
"Whoa, what's with the sudden stop?" Laguna asked.
"My
guess would be that we're here," Kiros said.
That
was when they heard it. There was rapid gunfire and it was aimed at their
ships. "We're being shot at!" Ward exclaimed.
"We're
trapped in here! What do we do?!" Laguna asked, evidently panicked.
"Wait
until they stop, I guess. They shouldn't waste too much more ammunition just
trying to keep us in the boats," Kiros said.
After
a few more minutes, the hail of bullets had ceased. "Hurry! Let's move!" the
elite soldier in charge ordered.
"Is
he serious?! We'll get killed as soon as we get off the boat!" Laguna said.
"It's
not our place to question orders. We just do it. Let's go," Kiros said.
A
flood of blue, green, and crimson poured out of the vessel, armed and ready to
face their long-time enemy. They never expected what they saw when they
emerged. There were Esthar soldiers everywhere; far more than they expected,
and easily outnumbering the Galbadian troops.
"I
didn't expect this many of them. Why would there be so many just because
President Delta stepped foot in this place?" Kiros mused.
"This
is Sorceress Adel we're dealing with here. Now, enough talk and let's charge!"
Ward said, hoisting his harpoon over his head.
Laguna,
Kiros, and Ward ran into the fight with the rest of the soldiers. A large group
of Esthar soldiers opened fire on the Galbadians packed together. Laguna
dropped down and hid behind the others in fear. "What are you doing?! You gotta
shoot them!" Kiros exclaimed.
Laguna
cried out in pain. "The cramping's never been this bad before! I'm way too
nervous. I can't do it. I guess I'll just have to lay here and die like a
coward," he said.
"Get
a hold of yourself, man! Pull yourself together! You came to see the world and
now you're gonna give up before you even get the chance? That's insane! I say
lift that weapon of yours and fire away! Live to see another day!" Ward said.
Laguna
looked up at both of them and nodded. "You're right. Thanks guys." He got back
up to his feet, grimacing due to the soreness felt in his still-cramped leg. He
raised his machine gun and fired repeatedly. A lot of them missed, but he still
hit some of the Esthar soldiers, doing damage to their numbers.
"That's
the way to do it!" Kiros complimented. "Let's keep moving!"
They
continued ahead with the group of Galbadian soldiers, advancing against their
enemies who were trying to push them back. Laguna, Kiros, and Ward were near
the back because of Laguna's mishap, but Ward rushed into the fray, eager to
fight. His two comrades followed directly behind.
Ward
let out a loud war cry and shoved his harpoon through the stomach of an Esthar
soldier, impaling him. He pulled it back and the soldier dropped to the ground with
the large hole in his body. Kiros sliced another soldier across the neck,
cutting his jugular vein. He grabbed his neck as it bled profusely and quickly
died.
A
soldier fired at Laguna, who stepped aside and shot him in the leg. He knelt
over, clutching the hole where the blood spilled from. "Allow me," Ward said,
and he viciously thrusted his harpoon through the soldier's back. His body was
racked with pain for a split second, causing it to convulse. Then the soldier
died and was still.
Laguna
nodded approvingly, then his eyes widened as he saw another Esthar soldier
sneaking up from behind on Ward. "Look out!" he warned.
Almost
instantly, Ward turned around and slashed the enemy across the stomach with the
sharp tip of his weapon. The soldier's mouth dropped open, as if in shock, as
blood began to flow out of it and the fresh incision. Ward was about to finish
him when Laguna intervened.
"It's
my turn now." He lifted his machine gun and said, "Say good night, pal." Then
he placed a bullet in the soldier's skull, effectively putting him out of his
misery.
Kiros
heaved one of his Katal blades into each leg of an Esthar soldier, causing him
to shriek in agony. Then Kiros quickly brought them up to his stomach, leaving
a long trail of opened flesh soaked with blood. He removed his blades and the
soldier dropped without another sound.
Then
the three of them heard their superior speaking to them. "Hey, you three! Come
with us! We're going to look for where the president is being held captive!" he
ordered.
The
three of them joined the group and went in search of their missing leader.
Author's
Notes: So what did you think? Please let me know in a review, along with some
honest constructive criticism. It'll only help me improve as a writer.