Red Ruby IV

On the western beach battlefront, Galgi and Ralin’s squads were fighting fiercely on the far side of the beach where the scattered enemy forces were the most concentrated, when an enemy galleon returned suddenly to the shore from the east.

The group, carrying two V-shields as they fought, were forced to act quickly. They had been holding their own against the infantry soldiers, but now they found themselves caught between infantrymen and a bombarding galleon.

Taking fire, the men closed their V-shields together, while Ralin, escorted by Galgi and Filipe, lugged a wheeled ballista unit back to their V-shields. The men quickly gathered some loose ballista arrows, and returned just in time. The shields closed tightly just as cannon fire struck the shields with crushing ferocity. Galgi was thrown back from his scouting position, along with several others holding the shield. They looked at each other in desperation as several enemy infantrymen began crawling over the shield.

At that moment, a momentous red light streaked into the sky behind them. They looked on as the blaring light quickly reached the dome, and with a thunderous crack, pierced through it.

The light then dispersed, only briefly braking through the dome, and fell in every direction like fireworks. The men looked upon the glowing night’s sky in shock, their faces shaded scarlet.

“Cedric...?”

“Is that…seriously Cedo?”

“It…it has to be!”

“Hahaha! If Cedric can do something like that, what the hell are we doing looking like this?”

“You’re right, Ral. Let’s keep fighting till the end, men!”

“UuoHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

The men rose, reinvigorated, and held the shields up with all their strength. Filipe and Simon climbed the shield’s back, engaging with the soldiers attempting to get in. Galgi took his place over the edge of the shield, and began shouting direction to Ralin, who began slinging ballista arrows with rapid concession.

Eventually, the crossfire erupted into flames, which engulfed the beach battlefront.

___________

The flames from the beach, along with the shower of red light, reached the eyes of those fighting further down the beach, where the battle had grown even more intense than the night before. Al led a unit of cavalry through the nose of the enemy formation with a piercing battle cry upon seeing the spectacle of light.

Two other men steadied their still horses in the middle of the battlefield, glancing shortly at the show of light before returning their red-glowed helmets toward each other. The green-clad Teutonic knight gripped his broad sword with authority, while the red-capped Red Wolf general held his long sword in trembling hands, his mien emanating an unshakable fury.

__________

As the scattered red light fell gloriously from the sky, the two school teachers halted their walk, gazing with mystified expressions.

“Hoho! To be young and energetic!”

“Headmaster…I wonder who it was, to make this happen...”

“Hoh, I have an idea. Just think, Master Gambell, there are people from every state watching this scene with vested interest, wondering where things will go from here. Wolverines, Shlanks, Gleazons, mm, even the Snarilians and Black Shlanks. Indeed, our young lad has gotten the ball rolling with a magnificent start, and declared to the other states that the Teutons are still here, fighting. Everything only begins from here, after all, hoho.”

_________

Cedric finally lowered the glowing red sword to his chest, a few remaining sparks of energy jumping off him like static electricity. As the red light fell throughout the sky, no longer in the lake’s vicinity, he beheld his surroundings briefly, before focusing his eyes on one person.

He was aware of the group of Shlanks standing on the other side of the lake behind him. He was also aware of the group of Red Wolves emerging from the forest to his left. He was even aware of the lone noble girl whose presence nobody else had noticed, hiding behind a tree to the right.

However, the only corner of the lake’s opening he cared about right now was the one directly ahead of him. Quentle still struggled furiously, bound by ropes while the three bandits leaned leisurely on nearby trees. In front of them, at the edge of the grass, stood his lanky, blonde headed friend. His hair shadowed much of his face, but he read the expression on his face perfectly nonetheless. He wasn’t backing down from his ideals, the traitorous beliefs he inherited from his father, which betrayed every fiber of their friendship.

Cedric, as well, would not back down from his ideals, as empty and naïve as he knew they still were. Therefore, he pointed his newly acquired red sword across the moonlit lake at his friend, a look of fierce conviction and anger on his face as he bellowed out.

“MEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLL!!!”

-VOL 1 END-