Arc 4: What families entail
Road to a Hero:
Three chances in another world
Chapter 14. Tragedy by Solon Bay
The heavy rain falls outside of an opening of a cave. The loud booms of thunder echo throughout the land. The waves crash against the shore, with a big ship moving back and forth in the tide. Sounds of talking come from inside the cave.
Soku: “You're sure this is the right way?”
Leo: “Look I know these tunnels like the back of my hand, and this one leads to a cave right outside of Solon Bay!”
Edward: “These tunnels are as useful as I thought, we could sneak past all the guards unnoticed!”
Rosemary: “LOOK I CAN SEE LIGHT!”
They exit the cave, seeing the ships of the Gravestone pirates. Soku pushes wind mana atop the group, keeping the rain off of them.
Julius: “You’re getting good at the precise control of your wind mana.”
Soku: “Thanks…”
Edward: “You’re sure we don’t need extra men with us?”
Leo: “Look we have fifteen extra Red Arrows with us and that should be fine, AM I, RIGHT BOYS!?”
The Red Arrows: “YEAH!”
Soku: “I don’t know…I don’t trust these damn pirates.”
Edward: “What’s that?”
They hear a rumbling atop one of the ships, Moro emerges from the biggest ship's hull.
Moro: “I’M GLAD YOU SHOWED UP!”
Moro takes a puff of his cigar, then suddenly all of the cannons on the ship turn at the group. Then in an instant they all fire.
Leo: “SHIT!”
Rosemary instantly uses her stages, grabbing Soku, and throwing her back into the cave. The cannonballs kill some of the Red Arrows, with the Athens group successfully dodging or destroying any cannonballs. One cannonball hits the cave entrance, causing it to collapse onto itself, blocking escape from the pirates and any possible help from Soku, who is trapped on the inside.
Soku: “NO, NO, ARE YOU OKAY!? ANYTHING!?”
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Soku tries her hardest to blast the rubble away but with no luck. Tears start falling from her face causing her to collapse to the ground. Utterly useless. Back on the bay, pirates jump off the ship planning on killing the group.
Leo: “GET DOWN! RUN NOW! WE CAN’T FIGHT THIS MANY PEOPLE AT ONCE!”
Rosemary struggles to keep her composure, panicking and about to break down from the sudden attack. On the other hand, Edward is overcome with rage. The same people that killed his family and destroyed his island are about to kill him and his friends.
Leo grabs Julius and Rosemary, trying to get them out of the fight. He runs up the shore only to see a group of guards, led by Leo's brother Beauregard.
Leo: “Beauregard !? YOU’RE WORKING WITH PIRATES!?”
Beauregard: “Weren’t you going to work with them?
Julius: “Beauregard Valentine! I am Julius Cromwell, son of king Cornelius! Prince and next in line to the Valatrocitus thrown!”
Beauregard: “Are you now?”
Julius: “LET US GO AND YOU WON’T SUFFER THE WRATH OF WALGONNIA AND VALATROCITUS!”
Beauregard: “You’re bluffing?”
Julius: “Am I?”
Beauregard: Fine I won’t strike you down, but you must come with me. Do you understand?”
Julius: “I do.”
Beauregard: “Now come on so called prince, and you miss. Guards cuff them!”
The Athens guards restrain Rosemary and Julius. Then put them in a carriage, and leave Solon bay.
Leo: “WHAT NOT GONNA CUFF ME!?”
Beauregard: “I want you to know you lost. You can fight back if you want but I wouldn’t advise it. Now go home and tell the Red Arrows of your loss.”
Leo: “I…will win this…”
Beauregard: “If you wanna keep lying to yourself then do it, I don’t care. Now let’s leave.”
Leo slumps down in the wet muddy grass, watching his nelly find friends to be taken in by his mad brother.
A small group of pirates rushes Edward, who is quickly cut down by him. In a fit of rage, Edward swings his sword at the ground, using the force to swing himself in the air. To the shock of Moro, Edward successfully lands on his ship.
Moro: “Great day for rain isn’t it? But the damn water keeps putting out my smoke!”
Edward: “Why…?”
Moro: “WHAT DID YAH SAY?”
Edward: “WHY DID YOU DO THIS!? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!? YOU DAMN DIRTY PIRATES!”
Moro: “WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?”
Edward: “You killed my mother…a father…DESTROYED MY HOME AND YOU ASK ME WHO I AM!?”
Moro: “Do you know how little that narrows it down kid?”
A group of pirates circles around Edward, about to attack.
Moro: “Those eyes…BOYS LET ME THROUGH!”
The pirates move out of the way letting Moro through as he laughs to himself
Edward: “I…I AM EDWARD VAN HELING! THE LAST VAN HELSING! AND I WILL TAKE YOUR HEAD!”
Moro: “OH! That’s you, I haven't seen you since you were a boy, and didn’t I say it wasn’t personal? Oh well, you can’t kill me with that sword, it’s way too big for a small fry.”
Edward blindly rushes towards Moro, swinging his sword with all his might. But alas, Moro catches Edward’s blade, stopping him in his tracks. He then throws his fist through the air sndy strikes Edward down effortlessly. Edward's body hits the ground so hard that it bounces back up, being hit again and again until his body lays on the wooden, damp floor of the ship.
Moro: “HAHAHA! DID YOU SEE HOW HE BOUNCED!?”
All the pirates laugh at Edward, his body broken and useless.
Edward {No…not like this…I can’t die this way…the Helsing name…die with me…I can’t…}
Moro: “LOOK AT HIM, HE’S FUCKING CRYING HAHAHAHA!”
Edward: “You…are animals…”
Moro: “We’re demi-humans, what do you expect? I just want to win and if you guys had lost this hard when I joined you, I would have been a laughing stock. I play for the winning side.”
Edward struggles to stand back up, most of the bones in his body are cracked or broken, and his nose and mouth are bleeding. Unable to seep into the blind wrath of the warriors' spirit, all he can do is struggle and keep his honor. Drenched in the rain, he tries to lift Bjorn, the weight causing his muscles to rip and tear. Still, he screams, lifting Bjorn, swinging it down, and hitting Moro on the chest. Nothing, not a tear in Moro's clothes, not a single drop of blood, not even a reaction. Moro grabs Bjorn, striking the blade with his hand and breaking it in two.
Moro: “Hitting this damn sword hurt more than that weak ass swing!”
Edward falls back to the ground, watching as Moro takes the lit cigar out of his mouth, then puts it out in his eye. Edward screams and struggles as his eye boils and blisters. Black, is what describes the sight his right eye sees. With his left sees Moro chuckle, before he stomps on Edward's body until he loses consciousness. A sense of nothingness. The once-planned meeting, a meeting that would have ended a four-year-long war, has turned into a tragedy, an utter and complete loss.
END OF : Chapter Fourteen.