Capítulo 7: The Battle of Riverwood
October 27, 1940
I never thought I'd be writing a journal again… I remember writing a journal for back in 1935 because I don't know what would happen next and for some reason, writing helps me maintain my sanity…
And now, here I am writing another journal, once again thrust into a bloody war
Hard to believe that it's been 2 days, all of which I spent in a jail cell, since Aster shot my boss.
At least his men gave the boss the proper medical care before incarcerating us both.
Day 2. Aster decided release me. I guess he realized that I absolutely had no clue on what happened…
Actually, I still don't know what's going on other than Archduchess Cordelia is dead and Aster & his men are accomplices of Desmond's plot. Not to mention, the town is under attack from Imperial forces.
Oh god… Does this mean the Second Europan War made it back to Gallia?
October 28, 1940
6:30am
I woke today to the sound of mortar fire, not to mention the earth was shaking around me.
Another Imperial assault… Frankly, I'm amazed that the town managed to hold for 3 days
Despite the Imperials pushing us back to the Market District, we still managed to create a formidable defense.
"Hold the LINE!" Aster shouted as bullets and grenades fly around us
"Aster!" I said, firing my rifle "I know it's late but why are we fighting the Imperials?"
"This fight's been a long time coming!" he responded "The so-called peace we won 5 years ago was nothing more than a ruse! The empire couldn't afford to fight on 2 fronts, let alone have 2 enemies. But now, they regrouped and are ready to try again!"
"So what? You're telling me Desmond Crocker saved Gallia?!"
"Pretty much"
I wanted to object to that but Aster's attention was diverted to his radio
"Aster!" a female voice said
"What's up, Sonia?" he responded "How are you holding up?"
"I need reinforcements! There's a lot of these bastards in the tunnels!"
"Shit… That explains why we have less resistance up top… Denzel!"
"What?" I asked hiding behind cover
"I'm sending you along with a small detachment to the underground tunnels! We can't lose that point!"
"What's so important about those tunnels?" I asked
"If the Imperials take the tunnels, we'll be fighting on 2 sides with no means of escape!"
As if I had any choice… So I, along with about 4 other town watchmen, went down to the underground tunnels.
It was as if an earthquake was occurring as the tunnels were shaking quite violently
Actually, I was a bit afraid that the tunnels would collapse and trap me underground…
Eventually, we reached this Darcsen woman who seemed to be leading the town watchmen underground
I quickly hid behind the makeshift barricade she made
"I don't recognize you" the Darcsen woman said "Are you my reinforcements?"
"Yes!" I answered "My name is Denzel!"
"Denzel huh… Nice to meet you brother. I'm Sonia"
"Nice to meet you too, sister"
There's always that sense of pride and happiness when I meet a fellow Darcsen. I guess this is the 'Darcsen Pride' that many of my fellow Darcsen have said over the years…
That, plus my desire to live, really helped me in this fight
Looking back, I'm reminded once again of my time in militia and army
Especially the army… Because it was where I first met her… And it was also where I lost her…
Me, Sonia, and the others fought valiantly against the seemingly endless waves of Imperial troops
Hours later, the Imperials retreated.
I was quite happy when I saw the soldiers turn their backs on us
"Don't celebrate just yet" Sonia said tapping my back
"What? Why?"
Sonia brings out her radio
"Good work everyone!" Aster said over the radio "But don't relax just yet! This is just our breakfast! We still got lunch and dinner! Keep your wits up everyone! We'll get through this!"
"They're just regrouping…" Sonia added
When she said that my heart sank a bit
This ordeal isn't over but at least we have a chance to breathe
12:30PM
The orphanage was turned into a makeshift hospital as wounded town watchmen and civilians were being brought in.
I noticed Sonia and Aster comforting some orphans, who were very anxious as the place echoed with the screams of the injured men and women.
"We have too many casualties…" Sonia said "Should we consider retreat?"
"Abandoning Riverwood a second time…" Aster uttered, clenching his fist
"I know it's hard… But I think Croix would have done it"
"Croix…"
Aster ponders for a moment before letting out a sigh
"Alright" he said "Begin evacuation. Start with the injured and civilians. Sonia, I need you to-"
"Don't say it! I'm coming with you"
"…Fine… Nevertheless, I hope we bought enough time…"
"You're worried about her huh…"
"Is it obvious?"
"We are fighting the Imperial Army afterall… Besides, you have the same look Croix has when he was worried"
"Hehe… I guess some parts of Croix kinda rubbed off on me…"
Sonia and Aster chuckled but Sonia was the first to stop, noticing a tear fall down Aster's face
"But" Aster continued "I'm fine. It's been 5 years… Can't mope forever. And about Emilia… I'm sure she's fine"
"Aster…" Sonia muttered
"Let's go. Those Imperials could come back any minute now…"
Aster then walks away as Sonia goes to a nearby table.
She grabs a picture frame, in it was a group photo of some familiar people
"Croix…" Sonia muttered "Everyone… Please watch over Aster"
1:00PM
Aster decided to begin evacuating the town, starting with the wounded while the rest of us would buy them sometime to escape
We wasted no time in fortifying the town. This was our last stand
I was assigned to help out in the market district, which was near a tunnel entrance
The plan was to holdout as long as we could and use the underground tunnels to escape while another team detonates the explosives on the main roads to block the roads going uphill and hopefully delay the Imperial's advance to city hall
We took positions at around 1:30 and the Imperial assault resumed not long after
This was the most intense wave yet!
The Imperials were hell bent on capturing the town with this final wave
I was with Sonia and Aster taking cover right in the middle of the market district, near a statue of several individuals
"They've gotten serious!" I uttered firing my rifle
"I guess they want this town more than ever!" Aster responded, firing his rifle
"Sir!" a town watchman shouted from across the street "Tank!"
Just as he said, several Imperial tanks barrel through some of the buildings
One tank fires upon the 2 town watchmen, killing both.
"Oh shit…" Sonia uttered as Aster picks up his radio
"Edgar!" Aster said "Have you evacuated everyone yet?"
"We've almost evacuated sir!" the man replied "Just a few more minutes!"
"Incoming!" I shouted as everybody hit the deck
A tank shell hits the statue in the middle, severely damaging it
Aster quickly looked at the statue
He was clearly angry
"BASTARDS!" he shouted as he fires his rifle
"Aster!" Sonia said grabbing Aster's shoulder "We don't have time for this! We have to retreat!"
"You're right…" Aster replied, quickly regaining his composure "Have everyone retreat to the 2nd line!"
The Imperial forces were slowly overpowering us
We had no choice but to retreat into the tunnels and detonate the explosives with Imperial infantry close behind
We shifted between running, shooting, and taking cover
It was a grueling experience. What really stuck by me was when one of the town watchmen was shot in the leg
A 7.62mm round drilled through his left upper leg. I can still remember the blood splashing on my face, not to mention his screams as Aster comes to his aid
"Everyone!" he shouted dragging the injured town watchman "Cover me!"
Of course, we complied but the Imperials just kept coming despite our fierce resistance.
Minutes later, we reached a metal sliding door but the Imperials were dangerously close
"Hold them off!" Aster commanded as he drags the injured town watchman through the door
It was really hard getting an accurate shot. I never fought in a cave before. There were those nightly raids my squad did back in 1935 and 1937 but caves feel a bit different for some reason…
After another few minutes of fighting, we managed to lock the door behind us
"That should buy us some time" Aster said as he tends to the wounded town watchman "I need some help here!"
I could hear the Imperials banging on the metal door, attempting to break it open
"Guys…" I uttered
"Faster!" Aster said "We gotta get this over with and fast!"
"Sir…" the town watchman said "Leave me behind… I'm only slowing everyone down…"
"Shut up!" Aster replied "You're gonna make it out of here! Do you hear me?! You're gonna live!"
We only brought a couple of bandages but this was not enough to help our cause as he still had a hard time walking
"We need a stretcher!" Sonia said
"Where do we get one?" I asked
"From the orphanage… But we don't have time to go there and back"
"Sir…" the town watchman said "Please…"
"You fucking shut up!" Aster responded "You WILL get out of here! ALIVE!"
Once again, I only stood there as I watched Aster struggle to tend the town watchman's injuries
I saw them again… Images of her…
I was reminded of that day in 1937… The day she died right in front of me and I couldn't do anything to stop it
It made me sick… I wonder… What could I have done to help remedy the situation… Even by a bit…
"Who's there?!" Sonia said quickly turning behind her
Sonia's sudden stern voice woke me back to reality
Following her lead, I turned around and aimed my rifle down the tunnel but there was nobody there
"I know you're there" Sonia continued "Show yourself"
A figure emerged from the sides of the tunnel
It was a woman, dressed in Imperial fatigues
"Imperial!" I said preparing to fire
"Wait!" Aster shouted "Don't shoot!"
That caught me off-guard. Aster was suddenly telling everyone to not shoot this Imperial soldier.
"Emilia?" Sonia uttered
"H-Hey…" Emilia awkwardly responded
"Emilia!" Aster said "What are you doing here?"
"I heard about the army's intent on invading Gallia. So I went with the battalion headed to Riverwood so that I can meet you"
Aster smiles. "Well… It's nice to see you again, Emilia"
"Y-Yeah…"
"Um guys…" I interrupted "What's going on here?"
"Oh right" Aster responded "Denzel, this is Emilia. Don't worry. She's friendly"
"Ok…" I replied "So what do we do now?"
"We need to carry this man" Aster replied "It's gonna hurt a lot but we don't have a stretcher"
"Well… You're clumsy as always" Emilia said
Aster laughs awkwardly while scratching the back of his head
Emilia sighs. "You haven't changed"
She then brings out a splint and dresses the man's wounds
"Come on" she said as she lends her left shoulder to the man with Aster lending his right "We don't have much time!"
I still can't wrap my head around the fact that this lone Imperial woman, a soldier no less, managed to go around our lines and sneak behind us… Makes me wonder what happened to the other teams
Nevertheless, she helped us reach town hall.
However, the town watchmen have yet to evacuate the last of the injured as the Imperials have already broken through the blockade
"Shit!" Aster said "The Imperials have broken through the blockade faster than we thought!"
"What do we do?" I asked
"We give them hell! We have to buy everyone more time!"
And so we loaded the injured town watchman into the trucks and proceeded to form a perimeter around town hall
In the battle, I noticed Emilia was only armed with a P38 pistol, kinda weird for an Imperial soldier to only have a pistol… Not to mention that she was fighting her own countrymen
It was 5 minutes of ferocious fighting as the last of the injured was finally loaded into the last truck
"That's our window!" Aster said throwing a grenade "Let's get the hell outta here and-"
"TANK!" Sonia shouted as an Imperial tank fires a shell, missing the truck
"Fuck!" Aster said as he picks up his radio "Get out! We'll find our own way out! GO NOW!"
The truck driver complied and left
So the 4 of us were left behind as more Imperial soldiers and tanks appear
"So how do exactly are we getting out?" Emilia asked firing her pistol
"Uh… Yeah…" Aster awkwardly responded
Emilia sighs. "Again… You haven't changed…"
"Yeah…" Aster replied "First things first I guess. We have to take care of those tanks or we'll never leave this town alive!"
"Ok" Emilia replied "Got any anti-tank lances on you?"
"They're in town hall! Let's make a break for it!"
"Oh son of a… God you're still a hopeless idiot…"
And so we were forced to retreat back into town hall but there were only 4 lances left.
We each distributed it to one another and got into position on the first floor.
I saw one tank aim at us.
I quickly grabbed my lance and fired it without properly aiming it
I was lucky actually. The rocket damaged the tank's hull.
The Imperials retaliated with a hail of machine gun fire
For another few minutes, we were embroiled in another intense firefight. Eventually, we all used our respective lances to destroy most of the tanks but we managed to drive the Imperials into the defensive
"Alright!" Aster said "Let's get outta here!"
But as we started to escape, Emilia suddenly aimed her pistol at Aster
"What the?" Aster said in shock "What are you doing, Emilia?"
Without a word, Emilia shot Aster in the left shoulder
"Emilia!" Sonia uttered as an Imperial squad bursts inside
"Emilia…"Aster said looking at his wound "…Why?"
"You're all surrounded" Emilia said "Surrender"
Everyone was in shock over Emilia's betrayal. Noone was moving a muscle
That was when I noticed an Imperial jeep park just in front of the hall.
I signaled Sonia, who promptly nods at Aster
Surprisingly, those two easily understood what I meant…
"Emilia!" Aster said "Why? Why are you doing this?"
But Emilia didn't reply. She gave a cold expression
I saw that Aster was clearly distressed
"I'm sorry it's come to this…" he muttered as he grabs Emilia by the arm and throws her to the ground
Sonia and me quickly draw our pistols and shot down all of the Imperials inside
Injured, Aster bursts through the front door, shooting the lone Imperial soldier by the jeep
We quickly hijack the jeep and made our escape as the Imperials kept firing at us
Despite suffering a gunshot wound to the shoulder, Aster drove the jeep.
Aster was quiet during the first few minutes…
Well I couldn't blame him… He was betrayed by his friend
The shock must have hit him so hard…
"Aster…" I said before I hear a loud buzzing sound
I looked behind me and saw 2 distant figures in the sky
They quickly closed the distance and I immediately realized that they were Imperial I-16 fighters
"Imperial planes!" I shouted as Sonia and Aster look behind them
The I-16s released a barrage of machine gun fire on us as they fly overhead.
I quickly manned the mounted machine gun and started firing at the planes
But I knew that this lone machine gun won't be able to take down those planes but at least it would make them more cautious in their approach
Aster quickly took evasive maneuvers as the planes continue to harass us
"Hold on!" he shouted as he wildly drives the jeep, avoiding the machine gun fire
Despite his efforts, Aster couldn't dodge them forever
A few bullets punctures the jeep's wheels sending it out of control
The jeep swerved and eventually toppled over
We were throw to the ground
The jeep lands upside down and all 3 of us were on the grass, at the mercy of the Imperial planes
As the 2 planes sweep down, ready to gun us down, several machine gun rounds fly past us hitting the enemy planes, causing them to crash just in front of us
Another 2 planes then fly overhead. I guess they were the ones that saved us
It was at that moment that an armored vehicle and a tank, both bearing the Gallian Army insignia, came
It was a timely rescue and I find myself quite lucky to even be able to write this journal, let alone be able to breathe.
On another note, I later found out that the planes that rescued us weren't Gallian at all.
In fact, they were Federation Hawker Hurricanes…
As I end this chapter in my journal, I just have one question: What is the Federation doing here in Gallia?
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