Glad many people enjoyed this story so far. Now we see the Night Sentinels and their allies the Warrior Bunnies go on the offensive. Read, enjoy and review!
(Fort Stella, Prison)
Duran looked around his cell for what was most likely the thousandth time. It was a plain old cell with bars, a simple bed and a small opening for sunlight to come in. Illuminating the cell was a single torch that emitted a blue flame. It kept the room at a moderate temperature, and the cell itself was rather clean, no sign of insects or rats scurrying about. He had been stripped of his armor and weapon, put into rags and had his wrists cuffed.
The old king had lost tracked of how long he had been in there. But, if he had to guess, probably a day or two. Normally a noble or royal would be given better treatment than the one Duran was given. However, Duran had long since learn that not everyone thought that way and anyone who argue against it would get quite a beating. Besides, he had lost, and so was in no position to argue.
In fact, Duran did not really feel any hatred or anger towards these otherworlders. True, many of his men and fellow lords were killed by them, but the culprit was in fact Molt. Duran should have realized from the beginning. Molt and sent the vassal states to fight and die, in order to remove them as a threat. He didn't care if they won or lost, Duran noted bitterly. Not like it made much of a different, the Allied Army was completely defeated, and with no losses to the invaders. But Duran swore he would make Molt pay for this, either in life or in death he would make that Emperor regret tricking them.
His thoughts were broken when three figures approached his cell. Two of them wore green armor, but the one at the front wore white armor similar to the one who had defeated him. The green warriors carried spears with magical blades that glowed blue while the white warrior, a knight no doubt, had a sword sheathed to his waist.
The knight touched the wall and the bars to his cell sunk to the ground. "Get up." The knight said while the two other guards pulled Duran to his feet. The King said nothing as he was escorted out of his cell and followed the knight while the guards walked behind him. Duran took that time to look at the other cells. They were all filled with men from the Allied Kingdoms. Many of whom were bandaged up, some more than others, but all had hopeless looks on their faces. 'Where are the Imperial prisoners?' Duran wondered.
"Where am I being taken to?" Duran asked after a moment of silence.
His escorts continued walking, but the guard at the front answered without looking at him. "A representative of our King wishes to speak with you. Depending on the meeting, you and the soldiers who came with you might be freed."
Duran's eye widened at that but could not speak as the guards urged him froward. They finally reached the exit to the prison. Duran had to shield his eye as he adjusted to the sunlight above him. He was then escorted to a floating carriage where another warrior was waiting. Once they were aboard, the carriage took off. Duran nearly lost his balance by the surprised speed but managed to keep himself steady. The Skiff's roof had been retracted, allowing Duran to see just how fast they were going. Most things were a blur as they raced by, but the king of Elbe saw that they were moving through a town, with structures unlike anything he had seen before. Most of the people were otherworlders wearing the same type of armor. The others were Warrior Bunnies, and they all looked happy and content. He even saw a few celebrating over the victory of the battle with the Allied Armies. He also caught a few Warrior Bunny children playing with what looked like green wolves.
His attention shifted to the front. Coming up was what appeared to be a command building. It was made of entirely metal with red banners that had a golden symbol on them that Duran did not recognize. He had little time to think as the soldiers escorted him off the carriage when they reached the building. Guarding the entrance were two Templars carrying lightning guns. The leader headed in first, no doubt to tell his superiors. Duran could only imagine what they were like. After seeing how these otherworlders fight, their leaders must be powerful warriors. The guard came back out and in a language that Duran did not understand, the King of Elbe was escorted inside. Duran had no idea what would happen, only that he had the undeniable feeling that his actions would decide the fate of not only his own kingdom, but the other vassals as well.
(Telta)
The city of Telta was the second largest and most important city in the Saderan Empire. It was the focus of much trade within the region, the one standing out the most was the business of slavery. Many could say that slaves made up one-third of the city's population. Said were mostly humans, but also humanoids, with even the rare elves too. Many had been captured by bandits and sold to make money, others were prisoners of various crimes, and in case with the lagomorphs, were victims of the Empire's conquests. If Telta were to fall, it would be a crippling blow to the Empire, but morally and economically. That also made it a perfect target.
The Empire knew this. Even before the failed invasion, Telta had been protected by a sizeable force of soldiers, whose numbers could be the equivalent to half a corps. Supporting them was a wyvern outpost about half a mile away and several auxiliaries too. The latter was situated so that several riders could be sent to deliver news to the nearest fort, which was two days march from Telta. The walls were covered with guards, supported by catapults and ballistae. The river around the city also provided a natural defense, slowing down invaders and given the defenders time to organize and attack. And unofficially, the various merchants and nobles living in the city had their own small armies, mostly consisting of hired mercenaries to protect their 'goods'. Even if the enemy somehow reached the city, the Empire was confident that defenses would hold until reinforcements arrived.
They would be proven wrong soon.
On the southeast portion of the wall, a sentry let out a yawn. He had been at his post for a while now, mostly doing nothing but standing still, with the occasional reporting to his officers. The only saving grace was that his shift would end in a few minutes, and then he could finally visit his favorite brothel. The sentry had a perverted grin on his face as he recalled that said establishment had gotten some new Lagomorph prostitutes, likely slaves. His thoughts were broken when something caught his eye.
About a mile away from the RHO river, the sentry could make out two images that were not there a moment ago. Squinting, he could just barely make out the silhouettes of two people in armor. One of them holding a banner.
The Doom Slayer looked out at the city with disgust, knowing full well the number of misfortunate slaves being kept behind its walls. Beside him was Sash, holding the Slayer's personal standard. Receiving a nod from the General, Sash banged the bottom of the pole three times against the ground. Immediately multiple portals opened behind them, some big, others small, most on the ground while the rest were in the air. From the surface portals, companies of Night Sentinels and mages came marching out, followed by cavalry, war beasts, vehicles and walkers. From the air flew out dragons and wyverns with their riders, as well as jet chariots, fighters and airships too. From the largest portal marched an Atlan, brought there to serve more as a psychological attack than anything else, while multiple Goliaths were hovering out behind it. The only units not present were the Mammoths, as their size would cause more damage inside the city. In addition the Lagomorphs were not there either. Though Tyuule insisted they come, the Slayer said (or rather signed through Argenta sign language) that this was the time for the Night Sentinels to keep their promise.
Brandishing his Crucible, the Slayer pointed the tip of his weapon towards the Telta. A war horn followed next, with every Sentinel and beast letting out roars that caused several of the Imperial sentries to cover their ears. The ground shook as the army surged forward while the Hover Catapults got into position. Once in place they fired balls of plasma at Telta, with the Battle Tanks right behind them. One of said projectiles struck the sentry before he even had time to yell out a cry of warning, vaporizing him in seconds.
The entire city was in panic was projectiles struck multiple areas. Strangely enough, the places struck either had few people there or were military related. Officers were desperately rallying the soldiers who survived the first artillery strike. The defenders fired arrows, threw spears, the ballistae and used their own catapults. But their primitive weapons merely bounced off the adamantine hulls and energy shields of the Night Sentinels' vehicles. And many were still stuck in stupor at the sight of the unbelievable force before them. The sight of the metal giant made many of them faint or get to their knees and pray to whatever god would listen. The battle had just begun, and morale was already dropping.
Thus, the Barges and Skiffs easily reached the walls, having hovered over the river. The Slayer had jumped on top of a passing by Skiff, with Sash following him. Mages raised up large amounts of earth from below the river, creating pathways for the infantry and cavalry. The Siege Vehicles struck first, as the ram at the bottom struck the wall several times, eventually creating openings and allowing the Night Sentinel warriors inside to charge through. Those that came out from the exits at the top of the towers engaged the disorganized defenders. From one tower came out Gor. Said Night Sentinel was laughing as he sliced an Imperial soldier with his axe in half before throwing another off the wall. "Come, brothers! Let the gods and our ancestors watch as we bring victory once more!" Gor shouted as he cut down another defender. The Night Sentinels roared in agreement and pushed forward.
Below, the Barges rammed into the city walls, breaking the stone that made it as if it were sticks and leaves. Next, the Barges' front doors slammed down, coming down the ramps first were Machinas armed with shields and swords, or wrist mounted energy blasters. The automatons brushed off any attempt to harm them by the Imperial soldiers, swiftly crushing down any in their way. Next out were Night Sentinel warriors armed with Flame Guns. The stream of fire immediately struck the unsuspecting defenders, making them scream in agony as their clothes, armor and flesh were set a fire. A few were burned so badly only their bones remained or were completely reduced to ashes. The barges had Argent wolves inside, who rushed out ahead and pounced on the defenders, tearing their throats out or gouging their eyes with their claws.
Groups of Jet Chariots, followed by Airships veered off to deal with the wyvern outposts nearby. Said outposts had not even fully registered the crisis befalling onto Telta, and the Sentinels were not going to let them interfere. Sure, their assistance would not change the outcome of the battle, but the Night Sentinels were professionals and would ensure they carried out their orders.
The Chariots performed air strikes, killing any Wyverns and soldiers in their paths, as well as significant damage to the bases themselves. However, it was the airships that delivered the killing blow. They rained down plasma bolts that destroyed stone, metal, and flesh with ease. Though a few Imperial riders managed to escape, they were brought down by the Sentinel Wyvern Riders and Argent Dragons.
Meanwhile, near the center of the town, people were trying to evacuate before the invaders caught up. Among them were several unique individuals, the merchants whose delt with slavery, as well as other businesses that used said 'products'. Stories that the invaders had become allies with the Lagomorphs had already spread and reached Telta. It was clear that, if anything else, they would come to free the Lagomorphs who had been captured. And none of them had little doubt of what the invaders would do to them.
The normal response would be to flee and just leave the slaves behind, but for many of the slavers, the loss of their 'merchandise' would be a heavy blow they would never recover from. Combined with human greed, some refused to leave even their profits behind a cellar underneath a building, one of said merchants marched down where the would-be slaves were kept, a group of hired thugs trailing behind them. Only a few torches were lit, revealing the miserable environment the soon-to-be slaves were in, their bodies covered in rags.
"Get them moving right away!" The pudgy man ordered. He watched with annoyance as his men started rounding up the slaves. The slave merchant grinded his teeth as some of the slaves were being stubborn, complaining about injuries or hunger. At worse he would have to leave some behind. Already he had servants clean out his gold and other valuables. All that came next was reaching another populated city, Sadera of course would be the best option. They might be looking for slave soldiers to restore their ranks.
Unfortunately, any hopes the merchant had were dashed when shouts could be heard from upstairs. It was followed by the sound of items crashing and flesh being sliced. "W-what in Hardy's name is going on up there?" He demanded. The merchant never got the answer as an unseen force separated his head from his shoulders.
Turning off her cloak, Neis watched emotionlessly as her Shadow Sentinels cut down the remaining mercenaries with their wraith energy infused wrist blades. Her team had already secured the rest of the mansion, killing anyone that tried to attack them. So far, that only included the guards, while the servants immediately surrendered. Similar actions were being made in every area that had slaves, no matter the numbers.
"Captain" A Shadow Sentinel said to Neis. "We've located three Lagomorphs among them." Said women were huddled together, beaten, and bruised and clearly starving.
Neis nodded. "Heal the ones who are injured and prepare to move them. Our orders are that no slaves are left behind." She commanded, earning a nod from her subordinates.
Back with the main battle, it was going as one would expect. The Imperial soldiers were completely outmatched by the Night Sentinel warriors. One example would be the tally Bartel has made for himself. Behind him were the bodies of several Imperial soldiers and auxiliaries, all cut down by his spear. Activating his booster kit, Bartel rammed into another defender, piercing the man's body with the energy blade of his weapon. Tossing the corpse aside, Bartel decapitated another soldier that had attempted to spear him from behind, followed by grabbing another soldier by the head and slamming him against the ground, then delivering a devastating stomp to the soldier's head, making it splatter. A troll tried to crush Bartel with its club, but the Night Sentinel sliced the weapon in half before delivering a powerful uppercut to the demi-human's chin. The force of the blow was enough to knock the Troll on its back and let Bartel finished it off.
Suddenly, an arrow bounced off Bartel's shoulder armor. Looking towards the source, Bartel saw a bridge above him, with Imperial Soldiers holding crossbows and preparing to fire. But before they could, bolts of lightning rain down from the sky, destroying to the bridge and frying the soldiers into ash. Looking to his right, Bartel saw a Sentinel Battle Mage slowly descending towards him. Bartel recognized him as Gadore from the Sliabh Clan, which neighbored his Alorum tribe.
"Bartel, you need to be more aware." Gadore said. "Their weapons can't break our armor or personal force-fields, but that doesn't mean you can just go ahead of the platoon."
"I know that Gadore." Bartel said with a grunt as he followed the mage to where the rest of their group was. To the young Sentinel's surprise, the Slayer was also there, along with Sash and Lieutenant Owain. A quick glare from Owain who spotted them got Bartel and Gadore back into formation. The Slayer finished with a group of guards, decapitating the last one with his wristblade.
"Most of the city is ours. All that is left is the upper-class district, where cowards and weaklings who rely on their own status to survive are, as well as the lord's mansion too." Owain explained to the platoon. "We are to escort the General to the mansion and take it! For the Empire!"
"For the Empire!" The platoon shouted back as the Slayer took off, Sash and Owain right behind him as the platoon followed soon after. As they quickly moved about the city, they passed by other squads of their brothers. Said Night Sentinels were either dealing with any remaining resistance, moving civilians to a secure area, or escorting former slaves through portals back to Fort Stella, especially Lagomorphs. As Gadore had said, only the noble district remained untouched, and that was mostly due to the larger number of slaves there, who were being used by the remaining defenders, hired muscles of the nobles and slave merchants as meat shields. Though, that was quickly rectified thanks to the fast actions of the Shadow Sentinels.
Eventually the group reached the Lord's castle, which was kind of obvious given that it was the largest structure in the city. Placed near the center of Telta, and situated on top of a hill, the palace gave whoever lived in it a clear view of the city. Right now, though, all anyone would see would be the Jet Chariots hovering around it, as well as the Atlan standing outside the city walls. On the ground, Night Sentinels and Goliaths had surrounded the castle, with Hovercars patrolling, keeping an eye out for anyone trying to escape. Near the entrance were bodies of guards, no doubt having foolishly attempted to fight back, only to fall before the Night Sentinels' superior technology and skills. The Slayer gave the warriors a brief nod as they saluted him. Then he, Owain, Sash, Bartel and Gadore and the rest of the platoon entered to secure the interior.
Approaching the massive door, the Slayer slammed his foot against it, sending the massive metal structure falling backwards. When the dust cleared it revealed guards in shock, but had their swords drawn and spears at the ready.
Undeterred Owain gave the signal, and five Night Sentinels came up, wielding Lightning Guns. Raising them they opened fire. The direct beams of electricity struck the guards head on. Their primitive shields and armor did nothing to stop it, instead serving as a conduit that only amplified the lightning, giving them a quicker death.
"Split into groups of five. Kill anyone who resists but spare those who surrender. Contact Fort Stella if you find any slaves." Owain ordered as he along with Bartel and Gadore followed Sash and the Slayer towards the lord's personal chamber. The sound of doors being forced open, followed by screaming and the occasional blades swinging, could be heard from behind them. Only a few guards tried to impede them, and they were quickly cut down by Bartel, Gadore and Owain. The Slayer could have easily dealt with it but was fine with letting the others get some action.
They soon reached the last room in the hallway, the Governor's personal quarters. With a kick, the Slayer blast the doors off their hinges. The room was large and luxurious as one would expect, with fancy and expensive furniture covering the entire place, paintings of important people hanging on the walls and so forth. And at the opposite end of the room was the Governor himself.
The man was in his mid-fifties and had clearly lived off the privileges of his station. He was obese, his belly obviously protruding from underneath his clothes, which were as extravagant as the rings, bracelets and necklace covered in jewels he wore. His head had long gone bald and showed the redness that was covering his entire face. But what caught the Sentinels' attention was the woman the man was holding up like a shield. They were completely naked, covered in bruises and other substance, their left leg appeared broken, and you could catch looked like cut off bunny ears sticking out from her head. In the man's other hand was a dagger, pointed at the woman's throat. The Lagomorph appeared tired and scared, with tears running down her face.
"G-get back, you bunch of savages!" The Governor yelled, trying to hide his fear. "Do you have any idea who I am? What attacking the city means? Get on your knees and- "
Whatever he was going to say was cut off when the Slayer made his move. Moving at superhuman speed, the Doom Slayer rushed forward. First, he grabbed the man's hand that held the dagger, crushing it until the Governor released the weapon. At the same time, he tore the Lagomorph out of the Governor's grasp and tossed her to Gadore, who skillfully caught her. And finally, the Slayer decapitated the Governor's head with a single swing of his doomblade.
The Slayer tossed the body aside as Sash and Owain came forward. Gadore had already called for a portal to Fort Stella for the Apothecaries to look over the girl. Bartel remained where he was, waiting for orders. Sash looked to the Slayer. "General, should we…?" The Slayer nodded, already knowing what his Banner carrier's question was. In minutes, the Slayer's personal banner and the banner with the Sentinel Empire's symbol had replaced the Saderan Empire's and now covered all of Telta, signifying that the city was now theirs.
What came next, the Slayer already had plans for. It was time to reach out to the other inhabitants of this world.
(Sadera, Imperial Palace)
"WHAT?!" Molt exclaimed. His voice echoed across the throne room, startling the guards. "Are you certain about this, Marcus?"
The loyal retainer Marcus, who was standing before the emperor, was not bothered by Molt's outburst, but rather of the contents of the letters they received. Just an hour ago, messengers arrived on wyverns, a fearful and almost insane look on their faces. The news they brought was not good. Not only had Telta, the second largest city in the Empire and the biggest source of commerce, been captured by the enemy, but the four fortresses Mare, Fyue, Rekki, and Marais had also been destroyed. And all this happened six to seven days ago, and they were getting the news now.
"I'm its afraid it is true, your Majesty." Marcus said in a grim tone. "The Senate is in uproar at the news. Many had family there too. We have no idea knowing what has happened to the inhabitants. And the current situation of the vassal state becoming more obvious, our ability to operate is being limited each day.
Molt bit back a growl at the last part. Around the same time the information came, his spies confirmed that King Duran was seen heading back to Elbe, leading both the remnants of his army and the others. It was clear that the Lion of Elbe was the only surviving commander of the failed assault. No doubt he would have figured out Molt's plan and want revenge. The emperor had once thought of sending assassins to eliminate the King but rejected the idea. It would just be more waste of manpower and give the vassals a bigger excuse to turn against them. Molt had expected the vassal states to be weaken, but he had hoped he could still use them by twisting their desires for revenge. That plan was clearly no longer an option.
In addition, the survivors of Zorzal's army, and some members of the Allied Armies had turned to banditry. They razed the land between the enemy and the capitol, making hundreds of villagers running for their lives as they were completely defenseless. Molt just hoped that would be enough to slow the enemy's advance. Though after hearing how they took Telta and the fortresses, he doubted even his scorched earth strategy would work.
And the only place that was keeping the economy from collapsing was Itallica, and it was already being hit by brigands. Count Formal was a skilled ruler and had skills in tactics, but unless something was done it would fall eventually. What was worse was that his daughter was heading there with order of 'knights'. He needed to contact her and order her to return as soon as possible.
"The Senate will want answers, your Majesty. Already there are those who are questioning your judgment…" Marcus warned.
"Let them, I have not the time to satisfy a bunch of cowardly politicians." Molt retorted. He let out a tired sigh. "Leave me for now, Marcus. I…need to think."
Marcus wanted to argue but could tell that his emperor was going through a lot right now. With a bow, the man excused himself, leaving Molt to himself. As he was left to his thoughts, Molt was able to come one decision: This entire catastrophe was Zorzal's fault. If the boy ever survives, Molt will have whipped in public, blood be damned.
And…done! I am so sorry it took so long. I was dealing with so much stuff, like moving my late Uncle's stuff out, my internship and writer's block! Again, I deeply apologize. Please be sure to leave a review.
Some new notes:
Shadow Sentinels: The Sentinel Empire's Intelligence and Assassination Division. They wear black armor that is light for better mobility, and specialty made black hooded capes that allow them to blend in with the surroundings. Their primary weapons are energy blades from their gauntlets.
Airship: The larger of the two aerial vehicles in AG 2. Primarily serves to give ground and air support. Also, can deploy troops and vehicles when portals are not possible. There is also a civilian variant too.
Fighter: The smaller vehicle. Highly mobile and can engage both ground and aerial targets. In addition, is capable of hovering in place to attack targets. Capable of fighting in any atmosphere and in space.
Siege Vehicles: These vehicles are part siege tower and part battering ram and acting just like an Armored Personal Carrier. There are two exits, one is at the top of the tower, while the other is at the bottom on the sides, where the warriors also exit after the ram has created an opening in the defenders' wall. Sometimes a hover pad will be used to shoot up the warriors depending on how high the wall is.
Flame Guns: A silver colored flamethrower that shoots out concentrated Wraithfire that can burn almost anything. There exists a shoulder mounted variant used by veterans and officers.
Tribes: Tribes are less of a family and more of a community of people who share the same beliefs, views, professions and/or cultures developed after centuries. They live in settlements separated from towns and cities, though members are allowed to leave and live in said places. Some tribes can be skilled beast tamers, others genius artificers or train in the use of magic or the sword. Rather than a mayor, tribes are led by a Tribal Chief, or Chieftain.
Clans: The closes thing to nobility, clans were more tight-knit than tribes were, as all members were blood-related, either close or distant. They lived in compounds and while they could have servants and guards, they could not have their own private army, as all soldiers are expected to serve the Empire together. Clans have long-held traditions, which included skills and abilities passed down through each generation. Others might own certain businesses that commoners, nobles, and communities can invest in too, providing resources, products, wealth, and opportunities for both sides.