Project: Socialize (Chapters 198-Continued) [Hiatus]

230. Rape of Palisia

I neatly folded the old and scrappy Vilheim soldier uniform and held it in my arms. I stared at the uniform, remembering the numerous battles that I had participated in and had survived due to luck. The numerous times that I had seen my comrades dying while dressed in the same uniform, the numerous times the young men in these uniforms had cried while screaming in pain while breathing their last breaths as they suffered a grave wound that they have no possibility of recovering from...it was all for the sole purpose of defending our nation, our family from the brutal and almost demon-like enemy. And yet...we now have to leave behind those that we want to protect...

With a sigh, I placed the uniform in the small hole that I had dug up in the ground and buried, burying with it my pride as well as hope in the war effort. It's all over now. Even though the remaining military forces have retreated further north, they will only suffer a similar fate and be pushed back until they are all eliminated. In times like these...it seems as if no place is safe. Every single nation is participating in the Great War in one way or the other, with civilians having to live with the fear of constantly being attacked.

Dressed in my civilian clothing, I rose from the ground and looked over in the direction of the battlefield. The sound of fighting had ceased, eliciting a frown from me. The battle had ended on the Front, and the Jorzan's must be rapidly approaching Palisia by now in their automobiles. Come to think about it, the retreating forces...how many soldiers could our few vehicles carry? And is there even enough fuel to last the entire trip? Many soldiers must be forced to make the journey to Fort Sarendale on foot, and how many of those will survive until then? The Jorzan's will most definitely catch up.

I started running through the woods, dashing through the trees, and towards the old city walls of Palisia. I made sure to tread lightly and leave no trail behind, and I made sure to stay cautious and constantly scan my surroundings for signs of Jorzan presence. Changing into civilian clothing and hiding my military uniform had took a bit of time, maybe just enough for the Jorzan's to storm the city. But...hopefully they have yet to reach my home. Lucky for me, my residence is on the far side of the city, the area of the city furthest from the gate that the Jorzan's will most likely enter from.

As I scaled the hill that overlooked the front entrance of the city gates, I gasped for air as I reached the top of the hill. I rested a hand on a nearby tree, feeling the coarse bark on my palms as I leaned against it for a temporary rest as I surveyed the front entrance. There, vehicles with Jorzan flags flying had reached the gates, driving in and unloading Jorzan soldiers into the Capital of Vilheim. My heart sank as the truth reached me. The Capital, the heart and soul of the Vilheim Empire...has fallen.

I must find another way into the city, I thought to myself as I turned around and slide down the hill. Once at the foot of the small hill, I immediately got on my feet and started running once again, breathing deeply with each step, but the adrenaline allowed my body to momentarily ignore the fatigue and discomfort. Growing up in Palisia, I know many places in the city wall that have holes that allowed one to enter from, and if I recalled correctly, there is one just nearby.

Thank God that they never got around to plugging up this hole, I thought as I approached the hole in the wall that was secluded by overgrown grass. I got down on my stomach and crawled through the tiny hole, squeezing myself through and entering the old city.

As I got up, I surveyed my surroundings, taking in the familiar view of the old, wooden church nearby as well as the numerous, tightly packed houses built from stone bricks. These houses were old, appeared to have been built more than fifty years ago. Only the more important areas of the city near the port have buildings built using western architecture and have stores catering to the foreigners who resided in the city like kings and queens of their own while us, the Vilheim natives, are made inferior to them. However, the route from here to my place of residence does not require crossing those areas.