Sins of the Past Book 1, Chapter 12
VICTORY!
By Citadel
Cid looked over the parade from a high mountain top with Celes at his side. He liked this parade, even though it was for a terrible cause, he thought it was the most extravagant thing he'd ever seen. The whole city was on the main road through the center of Vector. Everybody threw streamers, confetti, held up signs, or just cheered the Vector army. Everybody was in good cheer as the band came down the street.
Gestahl was at the end of the street in front of the castle. He laughed at the awesome parade before him. Attractive dancers spun and did flips on the ground. He was on a high throne with Jamie on his right. She laughed at all the clowns that jumped out of a small little tent they set up.
The throne was twenty feet high. It was decorated with long wide banners that were elaborately designed with the City's symbol, the Eagle.
Jamie had thought it up one night in his room, right after he had formally proposed marriage to her. She had screamed with delight, and the kissed him on the lips when he showed her the ring. A huge son of a gun, eight ounces. She tried it on and joked that she'd have to lift weights to wear it.
She sat next to him wearing the ring, admiring it from time to time. She hummed the tunes the marching band was playing, she'd heard it a million times. The Vectorian suite number 5. composed by the great Ludwig von Bozart. It was a marvelous march.
Cannons shout huge flares into the air that even illuminated the day sky. Cid's apprentice, Mid, could be thanked for those. Even Cid was surprised at the similarities of the names, and had more than once had to say how they weren't related.
It was quite annoying to Cid, but the boy was smart, almost as much as Celes, but no where close Cid's IQ.
He stood up on the mountain and helped up Celes, they were going down to the throne where they had been invited earlier in the day. Cid had just wanted to see some of it from a mountain top.
When they arrived down below they were greeted with cheers and good laughter as Gestahl rose to compliment them. It had been Cid, and a some inspiration from Celes, who had made the great bolt gun that leveled the city. At least that's what the public was told. No mention of the weird blue prints Gestahl gave them.
But not the whole world was happy.
Back in Figaro news had just gotten to King Figaro of the attack. The chancellor told him of it personally.
"My God, what the heck was he thinking? Vector doesn't have an army strong enough to take on Albrook or Maranda!" The King was highly flustered over news of Gestahl's aggressions. It really scared and surprised him that they would do such a thing. He thought that Tzen of all places would be able to hold their own, but that darn Tunnelarmr. "Well, he didn't want to really take Tzen, it was just a message."
"What is that message, sir?" the Chancellor inquired.
"They are one strong son of a gun."
"Oh? How do you know that? Tzen was small."
"Tzen had the most advanced weapons known to man, but without any resistance Vector took them."
"Correct," the Chancellor was finally seeing it. "Now what are we to do? I think we should attack. I feel that the most logical place to attack would be Maranda. It is weaker, and small, but has a spectacular economy. But...then again. Albrook has an amazing port. the largest in the world. Not going there, and letting them fortify their armies would be foolish for Gestahl. Now everyone knows that he is on the offensive."
"I think we should send troops into those cities to fortify them," the Chancellor supplied.
"No, I think we shouldn't, at least not yet."
"Sir?" He asked questioningly. "I think that might not be a wise decision, it could show that you might be..." He trailed off.
"I might be what? Weak for not helping somebody hundreds of miles away? It would be foolish to go all the way down to the southern continent just to try to fight a war that we aren't a part of."
"But sire! There are some devastatingly horrible things that could come from this."
"What? Like him building an empire down there? You don't think I've thought of that? Or how about him starting genocide? I've been thinking about this happening ever since I saw that damned Tunnelarmr."
"That isn't your worst problem sir."
"Oh?" The King asked genuinely surprised? Then what is?"
"They can fly. Fast. Apparently preliminary reports tell of some powerful flying machines that wiped out the whole northern port in ten minutes. I haven't heard of one Tunnelarmr being used. Not one. That is the frightening part."
"What? They can fly! FLY!" The king yelled astounded.
"Yes, plus they have some other weapons that are just brutal. Indescribably strong. They might have even come with an imitation magic."
King Figaro's eyes went wide as saucers. He had one small bead of sweat fall down his forehead and trace around his right eye before he wiped it away. "My God. Sweet good lord of all that is good. They have magic? Did you read that report correctly?"
.
"Yessir,it's right here. Look." The king was handed a thick booklet. "Turn to page ninety-six."
"Ninety-six, eh?" He flipped to the page. "Holy smokes! And it is believed that Vector was using some sort of bolt beam that literally fried our town to bits. It destroyed anything it touched. It was unmistakably magic, or a very, very good substitute." He quoted from the page. The booklet fell to the floor. He just stared blankly into space. "As I said before, this isn't our battle, but should we be pulled into it we would fight with ferocity that has never been unparalleled."
"SIR!" The Chancellor nearly screamed. "This, I think, is a terrible mistake. He might have magic! Don't you think you should at least talk to the ambassador?"
"Yes, please so schedule a meeting with him. What was his name?"
"Derrik Stalfos."
"Stalfos, eh? Well, I'll just have to talk to him. I'll make sure to just ask him a few of these questions that we have been wondering."
"Yes, sir." The Chancellor marched out of the room in a huff. "Oooohhhh, he makes me so-- so! AHD!" He punched the wall as hard as he could. The resulting force form the punch shattered his middle knuckle. "Yee-ouch!" He shook his hand, but that only increased the pain. He would have to pay a visit to the medic ward.
"Foolish king," he grumbled, "if he only knew what will happen. I know something horrible is going to come of this -- it isn't good. Weak man, what a pitifully weak man. He won't even..." He shook his head in disgust at his weak king's lack of wanting to help poor people that would soon fall to Gestahl. That boy- that little boy. He stomped all the way down to the medic's ward.
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