"For Guardia!" Chapter 23

Declaration of War

By Master Odin

Three days later, Thunderer stood on the Zenan Bridge that night. Using the telescopic vision his armor granted him, he watched small Porre camp that had been set up recently just north of the bridge. Due to our arrival in this area, no doubt,he thought to himself. He heard the sound of cannon fire. He looked to the south west, the location of the nearest Porre base. "That idiot is just playing with them," he said under his breath. "The White Dragoon specifically said that we are to make this as quick and painless as possible."

There was nothing he could do about this, and he knew as much, so he returned his attention to his target. He was thankful that he could perform his attack from a distance. He drew the white lance off his back. "Vengeful Zeus, bring thine wrath down upon these infidels with thy BOLT'S RAGE!"

Storm clouds gathered over the encampment, thundering as they approached. The Porre soldiers ran into their tents for protection from the rain. Once the clouds had gathered, they formed the image of a circle with a lightning bolt in the center. Mighty white bolts of lightning crashed down onto the encampment, destroying whatever they struck.

Thunderer watched for several moments until the camp had been completely eradicated. The clouds parted and the night was clear once again. He brought his hand to the side of his helm. "This is Thunderer. Mission completed."

* * * * *

Captain Fargo watched the Porre port through his spyglass from his ship, which rested in the water near the peninsula just east of the southern half of the Zenan Mainland.

"Argh!" the captain growled before he lit another cigar. "They must have pups watchin' thar ships. 'Tis nary a soldier in sight."

"Could be a trap, Cap'n," one of his men said, a short skinny fellow.

"Nay," Fargo retorted, flicking the ash from his cigar. "We've seen these types before. They be so strong that they be stupid."

"What're yer orders, Cap'n?"

"Wait for me signal." He handed the man the spyglass, then climbed down the stairs on the side of the ship to join the rest of his men in the lifeboats.

There were six boats all together. The pirates rowed them to the port. Once there, they kept close to the ships in the harbor to stay out of site. Once they were near their destination, Captain Fargo lit the lantern hanging at the front of the boat with his cigar, then threw the lantern into the air. It was long till the sounds of cannon fire could be heard, and not long after that when the first of the ships they had passed was sinking into the harbor.

The thunder of the cannon fire sent the soldiers running into the streets in a state of confusion. Some of them accidentally killed their fellow soldiers in the confusion. It was exactly what the pirates wanted. The pirates tied their ships to the moor and ran ashore, yelling and waving swords and pistols. Some pirates were killed in the initial assault, the confusion was so severe that more Porre soldiers were killed by their own men than by any of the pirates.

After an hour of battle, the Porre soldiers were able to regroup and the pirates were driven back into the sea. Captain Fargo had been wounded in his side, but it was nothing serious. The ships in the harbor had been destroyed, so the Porre soldiers had nothing to chase the pirates with.

Once back on the ship the pirates rushed Fargo to his quarters to care for his wound. Once the nursemaid and finished dressing his wound, he took a small device out his pocket, about the size of a small cellular phone. He pressed a button on it and brought the device up to his ear. "Aye, this be Cap'n Fargo 'ere. We couldn't take 'er. Mission failed." He paused for a moment. "Aye, we'll do that."

* * * * *

Scorpion stood on a cliff a mile south of a Porre base that night. Using the advanced targeting system of his armor he was observing the going ons of the base. The information Norris had retrieved from the Black Wind was very accurate. Scorpion smiled behind his mask. This was going to be way too easy.

He jumped onto his jetboard. Its broad design, designed especially for his armor style, allowed him to take any battle stance necessary while riding. He stood facing forward on it as it flew over to the base.

The base was only a small outpost with a perimeter of only a quarter square mile. The tower sentries were the first to take notice of the lone warrior flying toward them and sounded the alarm. The over four hundred soldiers stationed at the base scrambled out of their bunkers, some of them half naked, armed with their rifles ready to dispose of the intruder. Although it was believed that that many soldiers was not necessary, the over-confidence of this man worried them.

When Scorpion flew over the base he jumped off the jetboard and landed in the center of it, facing north. Once he landed he stood straight up with the wide feet of his armor set evenly apart and flat on the ground. Upon this action Scorpion was surrounded by the Porre soldiers.

One of the Porre commanders stood before his men in front of Scorpion. "Surrender now or we will be forced to fire upon you!" he yelled through a bull horn.

A grinned formed behind Scorpion's mask. "Go to Hell," he said calmly. He raised his right hand, with the palm facing forward, to the commander. A fireball formed before his hand and fired itself at the commander. The commander dove to one side, but the fireball incinerated the two soldiers standing in the second row behind him.

At this the soldiers opened fire on Scorpion. To Scorpion the bullets were like flies to him, harmless but annoying, as they bounced off his thick, ungainly armor. After seeing that rifles had no effect on him, the commander called for them to bring a tank over.

At hearing this cords shot down from each side of the legs of the Zecronean Knight of Inferno's armor, anchoring him deep underneath the concrete layered ground. Scorpion so enjoyed playing with his prey. He was not worried about whatever weapon they were going to bring against him. This was what his armor was designed for. The armor style was given the name Omak Twoka by its creators, which loosely translates to "army of one" or "one man army." Scorpion thought the name was well deserved.

The Porre tank, which appeared to be nothing more than an armored truck with a large gun or cannon built in the bed, rolled up in front of him. Scorpion saw that the barrel of the cannon trained on him, but made no move to flee. Instead he placed hands on his hips as if to say "Oh, please."

The tank fired and the shell exploded upon impact with Scorpion's armor. When the smoke cleared the soldiers saw that the superior metal of Scorpion's thick armor was unscathed, and that he hadn't budged an inch.

"And White was worried?" Scorpion mocked as a lance appeared in his left hand. He heard several claps of thunder from far off and looked north east in its direction. "Looks like Thunderer's 'bout done." He turned his attention back to the tank. "Then I guess I had best get on with it."

He gripped the spear with both hands and with the blade pointing to the ground. "Blazing flames whom know no prejudice," he raised the spear above his head, "judge the guilty with your INFERNO OF JUSTICE!" He stabbed the spear into the ground. Two lines of fire ran north along the ground from the spear. From the sky one could see these lines form a image of a tongue of fire with a ring of flames encircling the base. A swirling pillar of yellow and orange fire erupted from the ground, lighting the night as though it were day and consuming everything within it.

Through the waves of heat one could see Scorpion, covered in shadows from the light behind him, slowing walking, with a cocky strut in his step, out of the pillar of fire to where his jetboard waited for him. When he reached it the blaze evaporated into smoke. He looked back to take stock in his handiwork. He saw three soldiers who had made it out of the base before he had finished his incantation, but they didn't concern him. A smile crossed his lips. He put his hand to the side of his helm. "This is Scorpion. Mission completed."

* * * * *

Mario, Sean, and Rebecca walked casually up to the Porre base on the western end of the Mystic continent. Crono had told them that the location of this base was once the home of Melchoir, the Zealean Guru of Life.

Sean lit a cigarette as they walked. "A little nicotine always helps before a performance," he said to the others. Mario and Rebecca just smirked.

The search lights of the base passed over them, yet the three Sacred Warriors went unnoticed. Rebecca had used her Holy magic to make the three of them appear invisible.

When they got about twenty feet from the wall they stopped. Mario drew the Sword of Kings and brought the blade up to his face. The blade began to vibrate slightly. "SONIC BOOM!" he yelled as he swung the blade forward. The wall before them blasted into pieces from the psychokinetic attack.

At the sound of the explosion the sirens in the camp went off. Soldiers poured out of the barracks, armed with their rifles, and ran to the breach in the wall. They saw nothing there.

Sean took the cigarette from his mouth and flicked it to the ground. "Lance of Wisdom!" he called out, summoning the silver spear into his hands. He then took the spear and broke it over his knee. "Classical Wisdom!" The blade end of the spear transformed into a violin, and the butt end transformed into a violin bow. Rebecca dropped the invisible spell from Sean as he began to play "Sunrise, Sunset."

As Sean played, the guards just stood there, staring at him in awe. Rebecca looked to Mario. "If he's doing all the work, then why are we even here?"

"Emotional support," was Mario's response. Then he yelled, "Yeah! Go Sean! You da man!"

Without stopping, Sean yelled back, "Shut the hell up, ya damn idiot!" Mario just busted up laughing.

Rebecca did as well. "Man, he takes these things way too seriously!"

Sean finished the song, and the instrument vanished from his metal hands. He turned and walked away, lighting up another cigarette as he did. Mario and Rebecca joined him in his grand exit and Rebecca cast the invisible spell on Sean again.

For a moment the soldiers just stood there, staring at where Sean used to be. They then looked at each other, then they began to slaughter each other.

As they heard the sound of the fighting in the camp, Mario took a cellular phone from his pocket and brought it up to his ear. "FreeLancer here. Mission complete."

* * * * *

Cyclone looked upon the keep that sat north of Choras on the Choras continent. "The Hero's Grave," he said under his breath. "How can these knaves be so disrespectful to the dead. I pray that Sir Glenn can forgive me for what I must do."

Cyclone flew to the roof of the keep and landed softly upon it. He drew his swallow weapon and began to spin it above his head. "Winds that speak wisdom, enlighten these infidels of their ignorance with your CYCLONE OF RECKONING!"

The clouds above the Hero's Grave formed the image of a circle with a tornado in it. Cyclone flew away as the clouds began to swirl and funnel down. The might of the stand-still tornado laid waste to the keep, and anyone within it.

Cyclone watched the destruction from afar. He pressed his hand to the side of his helm. "Cyclone here. Mission complete."

* * * * *

Larissa waited at Hermit's Hideaway for everyone else to return. She wanted to help, but her father had told her no, that she was too young.

"I have to do something!" she yelled as she stomped her foot.

She heard Captain Fargo's voice on the communicator that she was given just in case she got into trouble. "Aye, this be Cap'n Fargo 'ere. We couldn't take 'er. Mission failed."

"Alright," she heard the White Dragoon say. "Get your men to the Choras base. I'm sure Crono and the others are going to need your help."

"Aye, we'll do that."

Larissa ran over to the map. She saw the peninsula marked where the pirates attacked the port. A devious grin crossed her face as she ran out, grabbing the communicator on the way.

* * * * *

Crono led the warriors from his world into the Porre encampment just west of the town of Choras. He let out a battle cry, and the others echoed it. They rushed in, killing the guards before they could sound the alarm.

Crono, Marle, Serge and Schala battled together, with Marle shooting any Porre soldier within range and Schala using her magic. Crono protected them from anyone who got too close for comfort.

One soldier rushed them while Crono and Serge were busy with other soldiers. Schala drew a dagger from her belt and made quick work of him.

Crono just looked at the body after he had finished off the two he was battling. "Nice work, Schala."

Schala just grinned. "It is, ain't it, mate?" She blasted two more soldiers with her magic. "And the name's Kid. Got it, mate?"

Serge smiled. "Of course."

 

 

Robo, Lucca, and Magus fought their way into the control compound of the encampment. Magus erected a barrier around Lucca and himself as Robo's chest panels opened and he began to gather energy.

"Will you hurry it up, you sorry excuse for a can opener!" Magus demanded as dispatched a soldier with his scythe.

Robo released an electrical shock that shorted out all the systems in the compound and killed the soldiers inside.

 

 

The Dragoon Devas stuck close together. The Porre soldiers soon learned that the legends about the Devas were true: they were an unstoppable force.

Karsh fought like a man possessed, laughing the entire time as he cut the enemy down with his battle axe. He enjoyed the adrenaline rush the battle brought. Zoah was calm and collected as his massive fists pounded his foes into bloody pulps. Marcy was just as fierce as Zoah with her fist, but she went for quicker, cleaner kills.

Glenn, on the other hand, did not even feel as though he was a part of the battle. It felt as though the twin Einlanzers were guiding his hands to each kill.

 

 

After a few hours of battle, everyone heard another battle cry. The battle stopped as everyone looked in the direction of the cry. The pirates had arrived. With the pirates' help, they were able to win the battle.

Crono made the call. "Mission complete."

* * * * *

Serpent stood on his jet board, which rested in the water twenty miles west of a Porre port on the southern part of the Zenan Mainland.

Serpent chuckled. "This is gonna be to fun." He drew his twin short swords off his back. "TSUNAMI OF FATE! Giddy up, little doggies!" The water around him rose in the shape of a circle with a tidal wave in the center. The water surged beneath him to form a fifty story tidal wave ten miles long.

Serpent was surfing the curl of the wave. "Fankie Avalon, eat your heart out!"

It was too late when the sentries sound the evacuation alarm. The tidal wave crashed down onto the port, destroying everything and killing everyone.

Serpent slid his jetboard to a stop inland of the port and put his hand up to the side of his helm. "Serpent here. Mission complete."

* * * * *

The Porre soldiers at the port where the pirates attacked were still recovering from the attack, when they heard thundering roaring sound over head. They looked up to see the Epoch flying overhead. For some of them, that was the last thing they saw as the Epoch's blasters killed them.

A half hour later Larissa looked on the destruction with a great sense of satisfaction. She grabbed the communicator and brought it up to her ear. "Um, this is Larissa."

"What?!" the White Dragoon exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I finished off the pirates' target."

She heard the White Dragoon let out a sigh of relief. "How'd you do that?"

"With Epoch."

She heard him chuckle. "Good work, kid. Head back to the base."

"Okay."

"You do know that I'm going to have to tell your father that you disobeyed him."

"Wha­"

"I have to. It's part of the Knights' Code. Don't worry, kid. I try to get him to take it easy on you. That's part of the code, as well."

Larissa let out a small sigh of relief.

* * * * *

The Porre had set up a base near Fiona's Villa after the arrival of the "aliens."

The sentries hear a low rumbling sound. The sentries pointed the lights in the direction of the sound, but saw nothing. The continued searching the perimeter. After a while they heard it again. It sounded more like growl. They saw two red vertical slits in the darkness of the night.

"Aren't you afraid of things that go 'bump' in the night?" a thunderous voice growled.

The sounds of roaring and carnage could be heard for miles around the Villa.

Jerome Pryme looked at the blood-bathed ruins of the Fiona Villa base as he adjusted his sunglasses. He picked a small piece of wood off the ground and started picking his teeth with it. He took a cellular phone out of his breast pocket. "Pryme here. Mission complete." He belched as he placed the phone back in his pocket. "Damn, I'm full."

* * * * *

Cylgoi pulled his sword from the body of the last Porre soldier who had not fled during the battle at the Denadoro Mountain base.

WhiteBlade, Summoner, and Lorivette walked over to meet him. "You are just as ruthless as ever, Uncle," the Paladin noted.

"Did you not kill just as many soldiers?" the Dark Knight retorted. "Make the call."

WhiteBlade took a communicator from his satchel. "WhiteBlade here. Mission completed."

* * * * *

"That's part of the code, as well," The White Dragoon said, finishing his conversation with Larissa. He brought his hand down from the side of his head. That was the last one. "Things didn't work out exactly as planned, but if the method works, use it." He thought for a few moments. "These people are just simply amazing. Even the kid is a natural born warrior."

The White Dragoon stood twenty miles north east of the Mystics' Village. It sat in the center of the Mystic continent. He looked at his target, five miles north of where he stood, a place once called the Forest Ruins. A Porre base sat there now, another base to keep an eye on the Mystics.

He began to run toward the base, building up to just under the speed of sound after two miles. He stayed at that speed for the rest of the distance. No need to alert them before it's too late, he thought to himself.

Once he was a half mile from the base the jumped into the air. "ULTIMATE," he drew the Earth Edge, holding it upside-down in his hands, "EARTH," he did a flip in the air once he was over the base, "DESTROYER!" He fell into the center of the base, landing with the force of a wrecking ball, driving the Earth Edge into ground as he did so. The ground shock and cracked after he landed. From the sky one could see the cracks forming an image of a mountain surrounded by a circle. The White Dragoon jumped away from the base just as the ground within the circle exploded and lava erupted from the broken earth, killing everything within its range, and covering everything else.

The White Dragoon watch from his vantage point a mile away. Though he was pleased with the success of the mission, the loss of so many live still burdened his heart. He would have to ask for forgiveness when he returned home.

He collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. He brought his hand to the side of his head. "Larissa, change of plan." He took a deep breath. "I need a pick up."

* * * * *

"What the hell is going on here?!" Ulric screamed as he read the reports that had been given him. "Ten bases destroyed in a matter of hours! Three were attacked! Five of them by natural disasters! One by some dragon-like monster! And this last one!" he yelled, holding up the report and shaking it. "This one, some guy waltzes in, plays a damn violin, and waltzes out, then my men start killing each other! What's going on?!"

The Black Dragoon sat across from Ulric, sipping on a glass of red wine. "Sounds to me like an unofficial declaration of war." He took another sip of the wine, then looked into the near empty glass. "Ya know, there's just something about wines from other worlds."

"What are you talking about?"

"Think about it. Who do you know that can perform the acts you just listed?"

The general thought for a few moment, then the blood drained from his face as he said, "No, you don't mean.... But they can't­"

"I'm here, aren't I." The Fallen Dragon Knight took another sip of his wine.

"How the hell can you be so damn calm?!" Ulric yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

"It's not my problem."

"What do you mea­" He was interrupted by a knock at the door. "What!?"

Commander Modan entered the office and saluted the general. "Sir, there is a message here addressed to you, sir."

"Right on time," the Black Dragoon noted without taking his eyes off the wine glass.

"Well?" the general demanded. Modan quickly walked over to the desk and handed Ulric the paper he held in his hands. "Dismissed." Commander Modan saluted him and walked out.

Ulric read the letter aloud:

 

General Ulric of the Porre Army:

The attacks on your bases, encampments, and ports are a declaration of war made by the Kingdom of Guardia. You now have this opportunity to surrender the lands once belonging to Kingdom of Guardia. Failure to do so will result in a long and bloody war where Guardia will inevitably come out victorious. Send a messenger to Fiona's Villa with your answer. You have one week to respond.

Signed:
King Crono of Guardia
Queen Nadia of Guardia
Jeremiah Michael Aran III, Grand Master Sacred White Dragon Knight
Mario Justin Kingston, The FreeLancer

 

"By the gods! They really are here...." He took out a piece of paper and began to write.

"Don't forget the consequences for failure," the Black Dragoon announced calmly before draining his glass.

Ulric looked up and stared at him, pure terror in his eyes.

.

Chapter 24

Chrono Cross Fanfic
Chrono Trigger Fanfic