Chapter 16: Retribution

Flashback:

Me and Emilia continued to chase Tulius across the Castle. We eventually reached the Ballroom. It was there that we finally caught up with Tulius.

"Oh?" Tulius said "Judging by the fact that you're chasing me means that you've defeated Shadow… Impressive… You defeated a Valkyrur… Although, it's such a shame… to lose such a valuable weapon…"

"Weapon!?" I shouted "How could you treat your own soldiers like that!?"

"But of course!" He said "She was loyal and I admire her for that... But wherever you look at it, she was still a weapon nonetheless, a dangerous one in fact."

"You son of a bitch!"

"And judging that it's only you and Maj. Lualdi, I'm guessing the rest of your pitiful squad has reached the afterlife?"

He was clearly taunting us. I tried so hard to control my rage as he mocked everyone from our squad, especially Croix, Morris, and Flunky.

"It's over Tulius!" I said "Your Valkyrur is dead and your campaign of destruction ends here!"

"Over you say?" Tulius said "What gave you that idea?"

"What do you mean?" I said

"No matter what happens, a commander's objective is always victory!" he said in a maddened tone "Even if it means sacrificing the lives of his men!"

The way he said it… It didn't sound right… Other than the Valkyrur, he had another trump card?

"For the past few months, the Empire has been developing a lethal nerve gas that was graciously given to me by the Emperor himself to test on the battlefield!"

"What!?" I shouted

"I was supposed to activate it while Prince Maximilian was here to ensure that the Prince dies along with the Gallian dogs in and around Randgriz but alas, he left before my men could finish placing the bombs..."

"You're mad!" I shouted

"Mad?" He replied "I guess I am… After all, nothing brings me greater joy than to see the delicious expressions you Gallians make when you find out how hopelessly weak you all are!"

Tulius then maniacally laughed for a short while

"You son of a bitch!" I shouted

"The trigger for the nerve gas is hidden in this castle…" Tulius said "I wonder if you'll be able to find it in time?"

I aimed my rifle at him but he quickly used smoke bombs to cover his escape.

Knowing full well of the danger, I contacted all Gallian forces in the area and told them of the impending danger.

While the Regular Army hunted those canisters, Me and Emilia looked for the possible location of the trigger. But we couldn't find it... All we found were canisters that, presumably, contained the nerve gas.

A while later:

We heard Tulius speak over the radio of a dead Imperial.

"Looks like luck is no longer on your side… Prepare for a painful death Filthy Gallians! Long live the Empire!"

I then heard another transmission coming from my radio this time.

"Aster!"

It was Elena

"Where are you?" She asked

"We're by the throne room!" I replied

"You better get to the outer walls fast!" she said

"Why?"

"I've spotted Tulius by the Castle walls! Looks like the trigger for this gas is in one of those towers!"

"I got it! Thanks! We're on our way!" I said

We quickly gathered all the available soldiers and we preceded to the castle towers.

This was Tulius' endgame as he organized the last few squads of Imperial troops to defend his secret weapon.

"Aster!" Elena said over the radio "Where are you? Tulius is about to enter a tower!"

"Damn it!" I said "Stall him if you can!"

"Roger!" she replied as she fires a tank shell towards Tulius

Thankfully, her aim was spot on as her shell hit part of the path he was taking...

This bought us some time but we could hardly move forward because of the Imperial squads entrenched in the area...

"Damn it!" I said "We don't have time for this!"

"We'll hold them off!" A Gallian soldier said "There's another path leading to the towers!"

The Regular then taught us another route towards the tower.

Wasting no time, me and Elena converged on the new route.

Castle Tower:

A few minutes later, we reached one of the castle's towers. Inside, we saw Tulius. He was holding a device, most likely the activator for the nerve gas.

"Game over Gallians!" He said

He was about to push the button until the tower began to shake violently. Tulius lost his footing a bit and this gave me a good enough opening to shoot him. The bullet managed to hit his left hand, prompting him to drop the device. As Tulius tried to pick up the device, I shot him again, this time hitting his right hand. Acting quickly, I charged at him in an attempt to subdue him but he was too strong and he quickly threw me back towards Emilia.

"You worm!" he shouted as he picked up his pistol and shot it

I closed my eyes and heard someone shout:

"Look out!"

Opening my eyes, I saw a horrid scene…

"No!" I shouted as I picked up an injured Emilia, who was shot in the stomach.

"You're too reckless you idiot…" She said

"Hang on!" I said in a distressed tone

"Don't let him… play with… you…" She said

Tulius then fired another shot, barely missing my head. Acting fast, I gently put Emilia down and the next thing I knew, me and Tulius were pointing guns at each other.

For the next few minutes, it was a stalemate... Me and Tulius were waiting for one of us to shoot first. It was pretty intense I tell ya... But Tulius broke the stalemate by flinging a piece of rubble in my face, using his foot. This gave him an opportunity to shoot me and he managed to hit my left shoulder.

Taking advantage of the situation, Tulius said "Time to die"

He then fired another bullet. I was prepared to receive his shot but Emilia, again, stood as my shield and this time, the bullet went through the right side of her body.

As she collapsed to he floor, I acted quickly and caught her as she fell.

"Emilia!" I said

She was in pain as she said "Aster... Don't give him a chance..."

"Emilia, no" I said "Don't die on me..."

She simply smiled but it quickly disappeared as her body gradually became heavier...

As I realized what had happened, I let out a painful cry.

Tulius then began to laugh and said "Don't worry you'll be joining her and your other friends soon enough."

He then pointed his pistol at me but before he could pull the trigger, a cannon shell punched a hole into the tower. Tulius dropped his pistol as a result of the shock. He tried to pick up the gun but I shot it with my own pistol. Angry, Tulius was preparing to engage me in hand-to-hand combat.

Back to the present:

"Wait... how did Elena know where to fire? She could have hit you?"

"Well... Turns out that Rick was able to see what was happening thanks to his binoculars and directed Elena on where to fire..."

"My brother did all that?"

"Yes he did... You should be proud of him... I think he managed to save my life there..."

Popuri then smiled

Flashback:

I placed Emilia's body in a corner and prepared myself for the impending fight.

Tulius made the first move by charging towards me and disarming my pistol and throwing it somewhere.

I was physically weak compared to Tulius and he easily overpowered me.

In no time, he was able to wrap his hands around my neck and began to slowly choke me to death.

"Now…" he said "You'll be joining those other dogs in death!"

It was becoming hopeless. I couldn't find the strength to fight him, let alone overpower him. My consciousness was slowly fading away and before I knew it, everything went black.

?:

The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by darkness but in front of me were 5 balls of light.

I thought I was dead.

I then saw Croix, Morris, Flunky, Paul and Cooper emerge from these balls of light.

"Am I dead?" I asked

"Not yet, bro" Cooper replied

"Really?" I replied

"Come on!" Morris said "You're not gonna let that asshole kill you right?"

"Yeah!" Flunky shouted "You're stronger than that!"

"What Flunky said" Paul added "You're not gonna let that SOB get ya right?"

Croix then walked closer to me and said

"Aster… You're Gallia's last hope… Don't let that bitch win! Fight man! Do it… for us!"

"But-" I said

"No buts!" Croix interrupted "That's an order! And don't forget. Emilia's waiting for you"

"She is?" I asked

"Yep!" Croix said "Now get out there! End this war once and for all! And remember, surrender is not in our dictionary!"

"Wait, Croix-" I said as I was blinded by a bright light

Back in Randgriz:

The next thing I remember was that I was being choked by Tulius.

For some reason, I gathered enough strength to escape from his grip and in an intense hand-to-hand fight; I was able to overpower him. As he stood behind the hole, made by Elena, I pushed him over it. But he was able to grab my leg at the last second and dragged me along with him.

I was hanging on a ledge and his grip on my legs was really tight. I knew that I couldn't hold out for long.

"You die with me!" He said

I began to look around for something to use. Just that, I saw his gun just inches away from me.

As I tried to reach for it, Tulius pulled me down, in an effort to make us both fall. But I resisted and I kept on trying to reach that pistol.

It was a hard struggle but I managed to get a hold of the pistol. Just in time too, as my grip was slowly failing. I then aimed it at Tulius.

With an furious look, Tulius shouted "DOG! You cannot kill me!"

As the images of my fallen comrades began to flash in my head, I shouted "Retribution!"

I fired 1 shot and it hit Tulius' head. Letting go of my leg, his body then fell into the ground below.

It was over. The man, who mercilessly murdered my friends, is dead. I finally avenged everyone!

I felt so happy, yet sad… But I didn't have the luxury of time because I began to feel my hand getting numb, I quickly let go of Tulius' pistol as I try to pull myself up but to no avail. My body was too exhausted.

"At least I finally avenged them…" I thought "… Haha… Been a good run…"

As my hand finally gave way, I could only close my eyes and wait for the end.

But then, I felt something warm grab my arm.

"What's this?" I thought

I opened my eyes and saw Emilia.

"How many times do I have to save you!?" She said

I chuckled a bit and said "Well… This is the last time… I promise"

"It better be!" She replied.

With that, she pulled me up to safety.

Checking on her wound, I managed to cover it with some bandages in my bag and I supported her with my shoulder.

Stepping outside the tower, we looked over the destroyed districts of Randgriz.

Gazing upon the ruins of our once proud capital, we neither heard gunfire nor painful shouts.

No… We heard cheers. The Regulars and Militia were cheering and celebrating...

With that, we knew that Randgriz has been secured… Our attention was then drawn towards an explosion in the distance.

The Imperial Dreadnaught, the Marmota, erupted in a ball of fire.

"It's over…right?" I asked

"Yes…" Emilia replied with a smile "…Yes it is…"

It was over… Tulius was dead, the nerve gas was neutralized, Randgriz was secured, and Maximilian was dead along with the Marmota.

It was the end of our long and painful struggle….

Back in the present:

"Oct. 25, 1935. That was the day that the Empire called for a truce with Gallia. It was one of the happiest times of my life. The war was over and we, the survivors, have finally won peace back to Gallia."

"Yeah… I remember how the entire village just became so alive after hearing the announcement. When I saw the adults cheering, I knew that the war was over and I was just as happy…"

"By the end of the war, me, Emilia, your brother, Sonia and Elena were the only members of Squad 9 left. Just as the other Militia squads, we disbanded and moved on to follow different paths in our lives…"

"So… What happened to you guys after the war?"

"Well…"

Epilogue:

Sonia: With the war over, she felt that she had no more purpose in life. But I reminded her of Croix's advice. Good thing she followed it. Honoring Croix's memory, she reopened the old orphanage in Riverwood. She took real good care of those little rascals and they all loved her. Sadly, she died 2 years ago from old age. But the orphanage has been left in good hands…

Elena: Elena remained in the Gallian Army and was promoted to Colonel and became the commander of her own tank division. She served the army during the Civil War. Unfortunately, she died during the 2nd Battle of Randgriz when her tank was disabled and while she was evacuating her crew, she was killed by a rebel sniper… Her crew survived though... She was greatly respected by her peers and hundreds of Gallian Soldiers visited her funeral, including her former Squadmates.

Me: I returned to Riverwood. From there, I helped rebuild the town. I also found out that our Chief, the leader of Riverwood's Town watch and a fellow militiaman, was killed during the Battle of Randgriz. By unanimous vote, I became the new Chief and it was a huge responsibility on my part. I tell you, it was quite a challenge defending Riverwood from the rebels during the Civil War. Other than that, I also opened a small restaurant in the shopping district back in '36. Visitors would always stop by my restaurant to try my world famous soup dishes! Even now, it's still growing strong and I plan to have my son inherit it after I'm gone.

The deceased: All of us in Squad 9 agreed that the deeds done by Croix and the others shouldn't be forgotten... With permission from the townspeople, we built a memorial dedicated to these fallen heroes in that same hill in the outskirts of town... And as an appreciation for liberating Riverwood back in September, the townspeople also built a statue in their honor... You should see it... When that statue was completed back in '37, I couldn't help but cry...

The present:

"I haven't heard much from your brother. What happened to him?"

"Well… After the war, he came home and decided to return to Fouzen. From there, he formed a partnership with Zaka and created the Fouzen Toy Factory. Both of them really tried their best to bring smiles to the children. Now, he's retired and is living in our old house in Fouzen"

"That's good…"

The rain then stops. Aster looks up and says:

"Hey… It stopped raining…"

"Yeah… Can we visit the graves now?"

"Oh ok…"

Popuri and Aster proceeded towards the gravestones of their friends.

Upon reaching it, there stood 7 stones.

Engraved on them, are the names of their fallen comrades: Morris, Rupert, Cooper, Paul, Elena, Sonia and finally, Croix.

"Wait a minute, you haven't told me what happened to Emilia yet."

"Didn't I?"

"Yes you didn't"

"Oh ok… Well a few days after the treaty was signed, Emilia returned to the Empire"

"She returned to the Empire?"

"Yep… She said something about tying up loose ends"

"Oh… Did you ever see her again?"

"Well-"

"Of course he did!"

The 2 looked behind them and saw an old lady

"This idiot always finds a way to get himself almost killed! You think I could stay away that long!?"

"That hurts Emilia…"

"Well it's true, Aster! God! Even after the war, you always made me worry about you! That's why I had to drag my entire family from the Empire so that I could keep an eye on you!"

"Right… That's the 'real' reason why you had to drag them here…"

"What was that!?"

"Nothing! Hahaha... Anyway, Emilia, this is Popuri. She's a Darcsen we rescued during the Fouzen Campaign. Popuri, meet Emilia; my wife"

"Nice to meet you ma'am…"

Emilia stood there, silent as Aster says:

"Emilia?"

With a sad look on her face, Popuri asks:

"Do you hate Darcsens ma'am?"

"…No… Well… Not anymore at least… Living in Gallia for these past few decades has opened my eyes…"

Popuri gives a sigh of relief and says

"That's good…"

Emilia then turns to Aster and says:

"Anyway, Aster! Why did you run off on you own!?"

"I didn't! I told you guys that I'll be headed towards the cemetery early!"

"Yeah you did… in a letter! Seriously, can't you stop being an idiot already!? I was so worried that I had to call our son just to drive me here!"

"Hehehe…Well… That's why I have you for… honey…"

"Don't you 'honey' me! We've got a lot to talk about when we get back!"

"Aw…"

"Anyway, I bumped into someone on the way here!"

"Really who?"

A tall man then walks towards the elderly couple

"Good to see you again sir!"

Recognizing the man, Popuri walks up and says

"Brother?"

After noticing Popuri, the man was surprised and says:

"Popuri?"

"So when you said you'll be heading out, you meant here?"

"Haha… Yeah…"

A middle aged man then walks towards the group

"Hey dad!"

"Irvin! Good to see you boy! Where's your family?"

Pointing behind him, Irvin replied

"They're over there!"

Aster then waved at his wife and 2 kids and said:

"Oh! Popuri, this is Irvin, our son!"

"Nice to meet you Popuri!"

Popuri smiles and replies:

"Nice to meet you too"

The group then faces the tombstones of their fallen allies.

The 3 surviving veterans then gave their respects to these valuable allies they once knew.

Aster then leaned towards Emilia and asks:

"Emilia… Do you think they're proud of us?"

Emilia gives a scorned look to Aster and says:

"Idiot… Of course they're proud! We brought back peace to Gallia right? Didn't we fight hard over the years to maintain that peace too?"

"Yeah… You're right..."

"Don't worry too much... We, veterans, can no longer do much in this world… We fought hard all those years ago to attain this peace so that future generations will not suffer what we suffered… And now, decades later, all we can do is hope… for the future… We've done our part, now; it's the children's turn to change the world… Don't you agree?"

Aster then brings out an old photo. In the photo is the entire squad except for Emilia and Rick.

"Yeah… You're right… High time we let the kids take the stage from here… Cooper, Morris, Flunky, Paul, Elena, Sonia…"

Aster then pauses for a while as he sees Croix…

"Croix… Rest in peace, my dear comrades… I'll be home soon…"