Chapter 27: Change

Disclaimer: I do not in any way or form own Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There or RWBY. They belong to their respective owners, Takumi Yanai and RoosterTeeth Animations respectively.

"Emperor Molt is dead," Crown Prince Zorzal, heir to the throne of the Empire, announced. His voice carried throughout the gathered armies, nobles and senators, all listening attentively to his every word.

The royal guards, what was left of them, stood behind him, as well as his favorite slave Tyuule. Nearby, Princess Pina Co Lada stood with her Rose Knights, whose numbers were much greater, for they had not charged to their deaths.

"He was assassinated by the outlanders, who betrayed the trust we placed on them! Under the guise of negotiations, they come to Sadera and slaughter our people, and dare kill the Emperor himself!"

Zorzal waited for a few second for the news to sink in before continuing. "Sadly, Emperor Molt is dead. But I swear that those barbarians will not go unpunished! I was the heir to the throne of the mighty Imperial Empire; now, I am the new Emperor!" Zorzal declared. His statement was accepted easily by most of those in the Empire; the line of succession had been clear for years. "I am taking full command of the imperial army. No longer will we even attempt to make peace with such a weak enemy, whose numbers are so few. Today, we will show them the might of the Empire, and let all know that we are the kings of this world!"

The crowd cheered as the newly crowned Emperor Zorzal finished his speech, officially declaring war. He had wasted no time in seizing power.

Never mind that their original invasion force had been destroyed and the Gate captured within hours, despite their element of surprise and advantage of battle readiness. Never mind that the Army of Unified Kingdoms, the largest and most powerful force the Empire could field, was utterly devastated against a numerically inferior force.

To Zorzal and his closest supporters, the Empire was unbeatable, and the Atlesians had used underhanded tricks to assassinate the Emperor. They would have revenge, in the form of death, destruction and enslavement.

"All hail Emperor Zorzal!" the crowd cheered. The man himself basked in their cheers, a massive grin on his face and thoughts of revenge against those who had wronged him in his mind.

Of course, not everyone felt that way.

"This is madness, brother," Pina Co Lada protested, hurrying to keep up with Zorzal. The new Emperor strode with purpose, surrounded by his new generals - his die-hard supporters and friends - as well as a few guards, servants and slaves.

"Get the Imperial Army to form up and prepare to march. I want them ready within the week," Zorzal ordered.

Marquis Calasta, one of the new generals, replied, "Yes, Lord Zorzal. However, the imperial army is not yet at full strength after the previous battle."

"Call on the vassal states then, to reinforce our numbers."

"It will be done. However, they too have lost many soldiers recently. I fear that the army will not be able to reach full strength," Marquis warned.

"Have we not been recruiting and training new troops?" Zorzal demanded, "Send them as well."

"My lord, their training is not complete!"

"Then let them lead the charge, to absorb our enemy's magic so that our true soldiers can strike!" Zorzal callously declared.

"Zorzal! Are you mad? How can you sacrifice our people like that?" Pina protested once more.

He turned to face her, finally acknowledging her presence. "I am Emperor Zorzal now, and it is my duty to avenge our father. If I must sacrifice some soldiers to do so, then so be it!"

Pina's gasped at that, speechless. Luckily, she was not the only one who felt that Zorzal's approach was too cruel.

Herm Fule Maio, second of the new generals, spoke up, "My lord, such a sacrifice may prove disastrous for our army's morale. Perhaps, if we need meat shields, we can use the ogres. If we give them armor, they will be almost invincible."

Zorzal thought about that, "Hmm, good idea. Let the worthless demihumans take the greatest casualties. Very well, inform the army. Have the blacksmiths begin forging armor. When we march in a week, they shall pave the path to our victory."

"Right away, your majesty," Herm agreed, before barking orders to the servants. They hurried off to do his bidding.

"This is foolishness, Zorzal! The ogres? You cannot control them!" Pina warned, "They will not help against the immense power of the Atlesians. You are sending our men to be slaughtered! We must send an envoy to talk to them."

Sir Mudra, the last of the three new generals, spoke up, "Princess Pina, whose side are you on? These invaders killed your father, yet you still seek to negotiate? Emperor Zorzal is taking steps to avenge both his father, and the honor of this Empire, yet you defy him at every turn."

"Hm, you do have a point," Zorzal agreed, "Pina, your words border on treason. Were you not the princess, your fate lies within the dungeons. Why is it that you defend them so? They killed father, Pina. I will have my revenge, and the Empire will prevail!"

"It was not them," Pina insisted. "Think about it, brother." With conviction that seemed to come from her soul, she explained, "The Atlesians wield powerful magic and weapons that can kill invisibly at range. Why would they use an arrow? Their own weapons are deadlier. Someone else must have been the assassin."

For a moment, the generals hesitated, seeming to reconsider their reckless bloodlust. A shadow of doubt even crossed Zorzal's face for a second.

"Then they must be trying to hide their tracks. It is no problem for anyone to simply buy arrows from a blacksmith. They did not use their magic, so that we do not suspect it was them!" Zorzal declared triumphantly. His generals nodded at his brilliance, their wills hardened.

"Brother -"

"Consider your next words carefully, Pina. I would rather have you support me, as the New Emperor, than have to throw you into the dungeons for treason," Zorzal warned, voice dropping into a threatening tone.

"You... actually want my support?"

As if a switch was thrown, Zorzal laughed, "Of course I do, dear sister! You still command the Rose Knights, do you not? I could surely use a force like that. Father may have underestimated your knights, but I believe that they can help us win this war."

Of course, Zorzal simply wanted Pina to command her knights into a suicidal attack. Pina knew that he would not be convinced, and any further attempts would not only fall flat, but might even end up with her in the dungeons. With his new authority, Zorzal was taking steps to eliminate anyone who disagreed with him.

"Very well, then, Zorzal. Shall I prepare the Knights?" Pina asked. She knew the answer. She did not plan to follow through.

"Do it, Pina. I'll even send Sir Mudra to accompany you. He'll take a look at your knights, and... assess their potential."

ISo you still don't trust me, /I Pina thought. That was smart, because she had no plans to send her precious Rose Knights into a war against such a powerful opponent, only to be destroyed.

"I will be leaving now, then," Pina said, thinking of plans for the future. She turned and left, with Mudra trailing behind her.

Doing her best to ignore Mudra, Pina went straight for the headquarters of her knights, ordering a servant to summon forth the highest-ranking among them.

Pina took a seat in the meeting room. It would be a while before the other Rose Knights could arrive, and she had to get rid of Zorzal's ally following her around.

After all, what she was planning was beyond mere treason.

"Sir Mudra, there is no need for you to remain here. Surely someone of your importance has more vital issues to attend to than to watch my knights talk," Pina began.

"I do," Mudra agreed, "But Emperor Zorzal has ordered me to assess the strength of the Rose Knights. After all, Pina, I'm not sure if your old soldiers and women playing dress-up can survive the upcoming battle."

Pina's lips tightened at his mocking tone. She could remain civil despite her brother and his generals' stupidity, but she would take no insult to her knights. "I am still the princess of the Empire, Mudra. You will show me and my knights the respect we deserve. Do not underestimate us. Now go back to your master and tell him that the Rose Knights will be ready to fight," Pina ordered.

Mudra hesitated at hearing her tone. However, he made no move to leave.

Pina felt a power surge up from within her, making its way to her words. "Sir Mudra. Leave. At. Once," she commanded with strength belying her years.

"Of course, Princess," Mudra replied, obeying her order. He turned and left.

Pina heaved a sigh of relief, feeling the oppressive gaze of her brother finally leave her.

"Impressive," a gruff voice spoke. Pina almost jumped, spinning to face the newcomer, a veteran of the Rose Knights - Grey Co Aldo, an experienced soldier.

"Oh, Sir Grey," Pina could not help but relax in the presence of her mentor, who had been vital in training not just herself but many of the younger knights. "You got here quickly. Thank you for answering my summons."

"I was expecting this meeting. I mean no offense, Princess, but your brother has gone insane," Grey said, as bluntly as usual.

Pina took no offense, for she herself had already come to that conclusion. "I know," she sighed, "I tried to talk some sense into him, but I'm afraid he's too much in his own world. Why can't he see the truth in front of him? He's dooming the Empire!"

"And I assume that you have plans to prevent this."

"Yes, that's why I called everyone here," Pina confirmed. Then, she admitted, "Or at least, I have some ideas. I'm hoping we can figure something out."

Grey nodded. "Then, in the meantime, let me ask: what did you do just now?"

"Hmm?" Pina asked, "You mean with Mudra? I just told him to leave."

Grey bluntly replied, "You have never wielded that kind of command. It almost looked like he was charmed. In a way."

Your aura is the manifestation of your soul. It also can manifest into a 'Semblance', which is unique to each individual.

"I... Have to think about it," Pina cautiously answered.

"I suppose that would be a good idea. The rest have arrived, anyway. Let's find a way to save the Empire, shall we?"

Pina pushed away the thoughts of magic and power and focused back on the matter at hand. Saving the Empire from the hands of her foolish brother.

"Right. This is what we know..."

Giselle groaned in sudden pain, clutching her head.

"Are you alright?" Tai asked, noticing her suffering.

"The dragon... it's in pain," Giselle hissed, "An enemy seeks to... to... I must go."

"The dragon? What could hurt that thing?" Tai wondered.

"Er, didn't we just beat it up some time ago?" Yang pointed out.

Tai nodded, "Yeah, good point. Still, I'm unaware of any missions relating to the dragon."

Giselle had no time to stick around to listen to them talk. She jumped over a group of houses with a leap and was soon blazing off o to the distance.

"Should we go after her?" Ruby asked.

"I'm afraid we have other issues here. I wonder what's taking Rory so long..."

Rory was alone with Hardy, deep within her shrine. Even the priestesses had been ordered out so that the goddess and apostle could discuss matters unfit for mortal ears. The large chamber was almost empty, save for the two of them, a rare occurrence. No longer having the need for a physical form, Hardy left Rory's body, floating around as a spirit that only apostles could see and hear.

"I can help you," Hardy declared, with all the certainty of a goddess.

Rory waited for the condition.

"But," Hardy continued, as expected, "I have a condition."

Rory continued waiting for the condition.

"I want you to be my wife. After all those years, surely you can finally accept, hmm?"

Rory sighed. Hardy had been going on about marrying her for literal centuries, and apparently, her constant rejections meant nothing. She was tempted to just tell Hardy to go back to where she came from... but this time, she needed answers.

So for the first time in a hundred years, Rory relented, just a little, "I'll consider it."

"Really? You must really be dying to know what's happening to you, hmm? You've been feeling new things, yes? Your powers are increasing, your body is changing. Your very soul is being reshaped, Rory! How exciting."

Rory was unamused. "Just tell me what's going on," she grumbled.

"Oh, isn't it obvious, my dear Apostle?" Hardy cooed, "You are very close to ascending into godhood. To join the other gods and goddesses, but most importantly, to join me. I can hardly wait!"

"No. Impossible. I'm not ready for that," Rory denied. "I still have 39 years. One thousand years. It's always been one thousand years."

"Not this time," Hardy sang.

"Then help me. Fix this. I don't want to lose myself..."

"No can do, Rory. Not just because I can't. It'll happen eventually, whether you like it or not. Yes, you'll lose your human emotions and feelings, but godhood will give you so much more," Hardy said.

"How... How long do I have?"

"Hmm..." Hardy considered, floating around Rory. She looked past her physical form, and into her soul. "One week. No more."

"Just one week?"

Hardy paused, intense concentration on her beautiful face. "The latent power of your soul has been unlocked. Whoever did this, knew how to manipulate the power within souls. Interesting."

"Will you truly not help me? Slow this ascension down? Or at least reopen the Gate?" Rory pleaded.

"Unfortunately, I truly cannot. Even I am not capable of reversing the process. I cannot lock down the soul of a goddess-to-be. As for the Gate, you heard me. Opening it will destroy all of Falmart, and I quite like it here."

"Then I'm leaving," Rory declared. She was already in motion, dashing away from the suffocating underground.

Hardy watched her leave, silently and sadly. She made no move to stand in the Apostle's path.

However Winter expected Qrow to return to Alnus and make his report, it definitely wasn't by crashing in through the window while she was doing paperwork.

Qrow crashed in through the window.

"Qrow! What's the matter with you?" Winter demanded, piles of paperwork in front of her. Even in a different world, on the brink of extinction, paperwork still plagued her existence. She then noticed that Qrow was not in the best of shape - panting and injured. "What happened?"

"Salem is corrupting that damn dragon!" the Hunter revealed. He fumbled for his flask and, finding it quickly, took a long gulp. Winter waited for him to continue. "There's a Seer here! How did your men let a Grimm get through the Gate with us?!" Qrow shouted, "It's corrupting the dragon, so it's a damn good thing for you that I managed to kill it. And they, they're here too."

"Who?"

"Those people who attacked Amber!"

Winter blinked, "Who's Amber?"

That managed to snap Qrow out of his tirade. He shook his head, sipping from his flask, "Right. You don't know. Short version: the four maidens are real, they can use magic, Amber was the Fall maiden, she was attacked and her powers stolen, and the one who did it is here, on Falmart, about to unleash a horde of Grimm."

"Didn't you kill the Seer? Wouldn't that stop it?" Winter asked. "Also, I'm going to need the long version."

"It should, yes. But do you seriously think that they have no contingency? It's only a matter of time, Winter. We need to destroy the Grimm before it finishes its corruption, or we are looking at a full-scale invasion."

"Right," Winter agreed. With a sweep, she cleared her table of all the paperwork and began drafting up plans. "Where are they? How long do we have, Qrow?"

Qrow grabbed a pen and jabbed it into the may on Winter's wall, marking a location relatively near the dark elven forest. He shook his flask, trying to get the last few drops of the liquid out. "A week? Two, at most."

Nowhere near enough time. Then again, even with all the time on the world, their lack of resources meant that it was only a matter of time before the Grimm overrun them. Winter sighed. Nothing was looking good, and the news about the dragon made everything worse. "Anything else, Qrow? What can we expect to face?"

"Depends on how quickly you can get the troops there. If, say, you reach in a week, then maybe the dragon is not completely Grimm, and it'll just be the half-maiden, her followers and whatever minor Grimm managed to spawn," Qrow paused, considering. "But I have no idea how quickly the corruption can spread. If you're too late, we're looking at a Grimm of unprecedented power, a small army of lesser Grimm, plus the maiden and friends. So best we move quickly. My advice? Bring everything. Something tells me we're going to need it." Qrow ended his analysis in a sobering tone.

"Alright. Thank you, Qrow," Winter said.

Qrow grunted, mumbling about going to find more booze, and left. Through the window, which was open, and the glass still lay shattered on the ground. For a moment, Winter wondered why Qrow had entered through the window in the first place, then dismissed it. There were more important things to focus on.

Winter began typing up an order, summoning the Atlesian forces under her command to prepare. Then, she stopped. As it were, their resources were dangerously low, and no replacement had been found. Alone, they may yet fail to stop the Grimm - based on Qrow's estimate, their numbers would grow too quickly. But perhaps they did not have to do it alone.

Winter erased her draft and began a new one. It was time for a call to arms.