Sephiroth
Location: Gaia
Chapter: 2a
The war had clearly been coming to a closing for the past year yet the fighting persisted, wearing down the morale of soldiers on either side.
No pure logical reasoning could explain the enemy's tenacity for everyone who managed to listen to recent on goings knew that Wutai, nearing its limits, was desperate for aid that had never arrived. Walls were patched with mud; armors were scraped together from household items. Food grew scarcer by the day as a great portion of it was divided to the militia and another to the nobles, while civilians were holding out with what was left.
Wutai lost its hold first on Nibelheim, then Cosmo Canyon. The Asuras(1), Wutai's greatest allies, were slaughtered in the battle of Vana Valley(2), which was considered a turning point in the Wutai-Midgar war.
However brave and mighty the warriors of Wutai and Cosmo Canyon were, they did not stand a chance against the numbers, power, connections, and technology of Midgar.
Besides ordinary Midgar soldiers, Wutai had the highly skilled GUARDS(3) and the Alexandrian knights to contend with.
Yet they were going to fight to the bitter end.
And while Wutai was out-numbered and out-powered, the war would have lasted half the time it took had Lindblum allowed Midgar their airships. The city had long been a place of trades, and like Midgar (until the Nibelheim incident), developed ties with Wutai.
Lindblum was finally swayed from its resolutely neutral position when Midgar claimed Ipsen's Castle and allowed a single airship to be lent as a sign of continual friendship with the City of Prosperity(4). It was said that a month before the invasion a strange cloud floated over all of Wutai, as if a heavenly eye weighing the souls of. But Wutai officials knew better than to be taken in by superstition. Midgar was going to make their move.
One week later an old fishing boat carrying three Turks and a platoon of GUARDS led by Lieutenant Julien Stephano landed off of a northern shore of the Nibbana Bay. Once they disembarked the Turks grabbed their gears and parted without as much as a single word.
To be continued…
(1). Asuras – great red beasts resembling a large mix between canine and feline. Asuras live in tribes of up to about twenty creatures, curiously owns a fire-lit tail tip, and are as well known for their magical abilities as for their teeth and claws.
(2). Battle of Vana Valley – the Dah cave within Vana Valley was held as the sacred meeting grounds of Asura tribes for many generations and led up into the heights of Cosmo Canyon. The cave was furiously fought over but despite the Asuras' strength, numbers proved to be a problem. Soon enough Midgar penetrated its defenses and the Asuras were forced to surrender to Colonel Bastien Monbailly. Though what came next was pandemonium. An hour before Monbailly and Nayoni, the Asura leader, were to meet, Midgar troops suddenly attacked. Naturally, the Asuras retaliated but their already meager forces were overwhelmed and killed. Colonel Monbailly and Major Robert Goron vanished that very day and no sight of the two missing officers were ever seen again.
(3). GUARDS – elite soldiers of Midgar.
(4). City of Prosperity – a rather new name for Midgar since its recent breakthrough of magical granting weaponry. Mages are uncommon in this day and age; therefore it is of little surprise the high (and dramatically increasing) demand of such armaments.