OOC: Apologies for the piece of rubbish I pretend to call a story. I rushed it in order to get out the door on time. Perhaps I will create a revised version later. In any case:
Pelathir, Callixtus
Ah, Pelathir, city of jewels. A beautiful hilltop gemstone, glittering in the sun. Perhaps one of the most beautiful settlements in all of Arios. Breathtaking
absolutely breathtaking. Commander!
Yes, MLord?
Burn it to the ground!
The Gosican army was more than capable of that. After joining the war on the side of the Princepii, they had ripped through the Callixtii countryside, smashing through their defenses virtually unopposed. If Sir Robert the Odd had been right in his thesis of inertia, then the incredible momentum this early success had created would rout the Callixtii from their own capital and strike a decisive blow against the hated Claidheans, perhaps even secure victory. Things were going very, very well.
Despite the momentum, the Callixtii were still putting up a valiant defense. It had taken two days of bloody fighting to breach the outer walls. Smoke rose from the interior as troops fought street to street, house to house. Pelathir was determined to go down fighting, and fighting hard.
As the first wave of blue had swept over the plains and towards the gates, they had stood their ground. There was not a large amount of men inside the city, and they were totally unprepared for a major engagement. That they had held out this long was a testament to their fierce determination and their heritage. Gosican troops stretched as far as the eye could see, and they had stood defiant.
But that resistance did not last forever. Now that the outer defenses had been breached and fighting had turned to the streets, it was only a matter of time before it was in Gosican hands. A bloody struggle it would be though. The Gosican army paid in blood for every street corner, every house, every shop they took. If there were ever a time when the momentum might hit a wall and stop, it would be now. Flames bursted around every corner, case shot flew in most every direction. Guerilla warfare is a terrible thing, a dishonorable horror, and the Callixtii took to it like a cat, clutching the ground in its last throes of life.
I was there, among those men. My division was ordered to take the poor quarter at any cost. Walking into those slums was like walking into a nest of angry swordflies. The Callixtii had hidden themselves in the buildings, taking cover where they could and waiting in ambush. I nearly walked into one myself, and I would have been blown to bits had not another man pushed me out of the way and under an overturned cart. I looked around to thank him later, but he, along with most of the men involved in that conflict, was dead in the streets.
I arose and tried to connect with the main force, as I realized I would not survive on my own. As I progressed through the city, scared to death, I searched over my shoulder constantly, in alleys, and in windows. There was no telling where the devils might be next. I ran into another group of survivors from an ambush at the dock, where they had been attacked from underneath the wharf. Together we tried our best to get out of the poor quarter, making our way towards a bridge; the river divided the poor quarter from the marketplace and other quarters. We were almost at the north bridge when again they fell upon us. We took cover in an old womans home. She was petrified, but was no danger to us. Unfortunately, the house was not very well built, and they had us surrounded. We were sure we would not survive.
Suddenly, we heard gunshots outside the house. None of them were directed at ourselves, so we wondered if perhaps a division had come to rescue us. To our surprise, it a group of common folk of the poor quarter, armed and angry. They routed the enemy troops and forced them into the river. We later learned that these people were Gottic rebels, who embraced our liberation of their lands from the hated Claidheans. I owe them my life and my freedom.
Wow, Daddy, thats amazing! The little boy jumped up and down and clapped his hands enthusiastically, his brown hair being tossed about as he did so. He loved his fathers war stories, and wanted to be just like him when he grew up, defending the Great Gosican Kingdom from enemies, rescuing damsels in distress, and all sorts of heroism. His father was very proud of the young boy.
His brother, on the other hand, was a different matter. Father, why did the Gosican army participate in guerilla fighting? He was an inquisitive boy, always challenging the norm, but also willing to learn if only given the chance.
The father leaned over in his chair and looked him in the eye, trying to find some sort of mockery in his question. You see, Dorrin, He said, The Callixtii resorted to guerilla war in order to defeat us, because they knew they could not do so otherwise. It is a low, dishonorable, vile form of combat, and yes, it should be avoided at all cost. However, we realized that in order to secure victory and the safety of the Gottic and Guipikan peoples, sacrifices had to be made. I can assure you, had the Callixtii wanted an open battle on the plains of Pelathir, we would have been more than happy to give them a beating to remember.
Whats important is that we have won the war, and now Gosica is becoming a great nation in the eyes of Arios. Gosica and Princeps are in a mighty alliance, one that must be dealt with carefully. We have ensured our freedom from the Buridisian, Callixtii, and Kantic tyrants, and are entering a golden age of peace and prosperity. This truly is a happily ever after.
But will it remain happily ever after? This remains to be seen. In any case, a new age has begun for the Kingdom of Gosica, one that shall change it
forever.
