August 13th, 2016 of the Gregorian calendar

All he wanted was to take a quick piss, that's all he thought would happen. He and the rest if the squad were to guard a check point when he asked Corporal Collins if he could and he gave the green light, the private walked away to a small creek but about ten yards away. He hadn't even unzipped his pants when he was surrounded by women in armor pointing swords at him.

Now he was riding a horse on his stomach with his hands tied, and still had to go pee. 'Aw shit, i think im going to be sick.' He didn't know how long they were riding hour until they began to slow down, he with his limited vision determined her was a wooded area probably a fair distance from Italica.

With with a hefty pull he was yanked off the horse, onto the ground. Johnson slowly rolled off his back, onto all fours and attempted to get up only to find the wind kicked out of him as a hard kick found his gut. "sedete in vobis spumae!" The American looked up to see a woman with bright blonde hair and angry brown eyes looking down at him.

"Hey, hey...I mean no harm." He said, knowledgeable that they didn't know a damn thing he was saying but waving his arms to consider him less of a threat. "petit misericordiam?" Saying another one but with silver hair, "quomodo de hoc facto ac super hoc fiat!" Said another with purple hair as she joined in the semi-circle around the man. "iustus adepto delatione et occidere eum iam."

"Non loquor latine!" N-n-non latine!" He stated in a quite broken Latin, the woman looking at each other and then him with puzzled looks. "Please, I have to go to piss. You know, ppsssss." He told them while trying to get up, though it appeared they understood what he meant. "ad illam arborem ire potes," The blonde woman pointed to a tree only two yards away. "Aliquid experire et pilas tuas amputare." Pointing to his groin with her sword, getting the memo he got onto his feet and marched to the tree thanking god they had tied his hands forward.

Quietly he unzipped his pants and did his business but he in the back of his mind thought a plan, they took his M4 but neither his Bretta M9 or his knife but soon come to the realization that he was out numbered at least ten to one and even if he took out multiple he still would be killed by another and if he ran he could be easily caught when they'd climb onto their horses. In the end he decided that if they didn't discover his pistol and in a better place he'd run or fight his way out.

"I'm done." He zipped up his pants and returned to the female-knights but out of nowhere the blonde woman hits him hard square in the cheek. Sending him stumbling backwards. "What the-" Again he is punched but this time it's to his gut which is unprotected by his ceramic plates so feels the full force of metal plating against flesh. He heels over just in time to see a a sword swung at his right left, leaving a big gash as it tears through.

As he fell down he let's out a cry of pain while he grips his now bleeding leg but she isn't done yet as she beats the poor man's face though doesn't know he isn't fully defenseless. He hastily pulled out his pistol and fires two shots, while not hitting her frightens her and the other knights giving him ample time to wack her face a few times with the grip of the gun and crawl his way from under her.

Scared out of his wits with his injured leg tried to get away but found another one charging at him so he pops around off, this time hitting right on the hip. But he can't salver in this small victory as the Beretta was soon kicked out of his hand and a metal foot on his chest, 'Ah shit...' he looked up to see the purpled-haired chick looked down at him with hatful eyes and a sword dangerously close. "nunc morere!!" She jabbed with all her might bit straight for his heart.

She blinked numerous times as the blade didn't go in, "What the?!" Underneath the Other-worlder begged and begged and cried liked a little child for mercy but she could clearly see the wolf insignia on his shoulder, which was obvious one of a Lupa legionnaire.

Lupa legionnaires were one the most dangerous, feared and looked down soldiers in the Imperial army coming from only the best of the best and some where children of various nobles. They snuck in enemy lines and sabotaged supply lines, raided enemy camps, spied and fought like an barbarians but brought great terror to the empire's foes.

Then out of nowhere he put his hands tied up hands in his pocket, he was going to get another thunder crossbow and readied her sword until he pulled them out, In them was a small green book with the strange ancient writing system, quickly she snatched it and scanned it., 'So they Don't speak our language but how come they use the ancient writings?'

It then occurred to her that this was translations, with the weird language on right and the normal language on the left. 'Fascinating...' Beefeater thought to herself. "Hey! Why aren't we killing this barbarian bastard?" Said Boze as she got back up, "It appears we can get information we want for so in the meantime he'll have to be our prisoner." Butted in Panache.

"Then let's get this out of the way." Beefeater grumbled, She went to one the first pages with greeting phrases. "Who are you?" She said slowly pointing to the page, the Other-worlder. Very poorly he said, "I-I am Micheal Johnson." She flipped through the book again to another page. "Why did you invade Alnus and where your from?" It took a good few seconds before this My-kal spoke again. "I from America...you attack us."

'What? That doesn't make any sense, we weren't informed about an invasion. Only th...' It hit her like anvil, the empire had attacked a powerful foe and was paying for it in mountains of carrion.

"Me good! Me friend! Um...Princess, Italica!" He was patting his chest with his hands and pointing in the general distraction that the trading city was there. "By gods, they have the princess!" All the women gasped in horror, only the Gods knew what unspeakable things they could be doing to her.

"How we going to get her?" "What's if she's already dead?" "That isn't true a-" "Enough!" Everyone stopped bickering and looked to Panache as she looked down at the Other-worlder, "Perhaps they'd wan't their noble boy back, if we can get a prisoner trade then perhaps the princess will be alright. 'Idiot.' Beefeater thought, 'Stupid but not impossible.' "Alrighty, I get the hood for our prisoner!"

-Four hours later at Italica

"You fools!" In a fit of rage she threw her cup at Bozes, her second in command who was responsible for this catastrophe. She and the others had captured a lone American soldier and beat him thinking he was a Lupa legionnaire. They arrived the gates of Italica to trade him, she had to beg for the Americans not to massacre her knights. They had obliged but only under the turns that they would be Prisoners of war until war's end with only Panache, Bozes and Beefeater walking free due to being the princess' personal bodyguards mistakenly believing piña was kidnapped.

"B-but your highness, we're at war with them." Pleaded Beefeater, "On paper yes but don't you have idea the power they possess? They wiped out over a third of the coalition army at Alnus. 140,000 dead for only two of them, this is worse then even the battle Akuteku!"

"We have to make sure they forget this, Beefeater." She felt a her heart sink. "You need to please the American." Piña understood this would destroy her honor forever and the nobility at home would label her as a 'whore' but it needed to be done, the empire was at stake.

"W-what?!" "This is an order, the sate of the empire is in the balance." She opened her mouth to speak but closed it and without a word Beefeater left to get changed, the usual energetic and competitive girl was now quite and shamed. She didn't like this one bit but as the third in line it was her duty to preserve the state, she only hoped that after this they'd forgot this transgression and accept peace for she knew if not her father would burn the empire before giving up.

"You may leave Bozes..." Bozes as well quietly scampered away from the throne room, she thanked the gods Myui wasn't in there for if she had the little girl would've pestered her about how terrible the empire was. 'This is a disaster." She thought as she place her face into her hands, 'I only hope they aren't too harsh.'

Never in her life had she'd thought the greatest force the world has ever seen be beaten down by barbarians who somehow had better magic and could destroy the empire with only losing a handful of men. 'Was this our doing? Did the empire deserve this?' She was alone and had a lot of time to thing about the subject herself.

Fuaneos 14th, 687 of the Imperial calendar

Emperor Molt Sol Augustus watched from the balcony Imperial soldiers trained not with swords or spears but with crossbows and daggers, a complete change from how the Imperial army was structured since it's founding in the Last republic civil war that the empire was born out of. So far about 200,000 souls both from Sadera and the other vassel states had been lost and more permanent disabled.

He was shocked to her that only a third of the expeditionary force came back alive and many were driven mad by the horrors they witnessed, some simply committed suicide to end their suffering. The joined forces of Felgen and Godasen that was even assisted with the most heaviest war engines the empire could offer was pushed back and the former was killed in action while Godasen became fervently against the war.

It didn't help that most of the Empire's territory in the Alnus peninsula was captured and Deabis besieged, leaving the gold, silver and diamond deposits in the kingdom of Elbe venerable to capture. He was glad he'd sent in ten legions over into Elbe as 'reserves'. In total there was twenty-seven legions in both the Alnus and eastern peninsulas.

The men lost in war was tis a tiny fraction and he could easily replenish their numbers, what he couldn't replenish was experience and he lost alot of that. He know had to promote inexperienced generals who couldn't tell the difference between a kitchen knife and a sword.

Right next to him was General Demos, who had arranged this had a small glint of pride as he watched the soldiers train. 'So he wishes to reach the enemy's thunder staffs I see?' He thought to himself, 'To bad it's cowardly.' The emperor hated crossbows, they were a coward's weapon and that sword and spear were tools of a true warrior but empire needed to adapt for it's own good.

The soldiers would line up and pull the string back the string which was attached to a small pulley system that made it much easier to bring back to the nut. Once it was in place they'd pull an sleek broad head arrow out of their quiver and placed it one the weapon, aimed and pulled the trigger that let it loose and the process would again. "General, why are the broad head blade no extended out?" The general nodded, "It's so the arrows are aerodynamic as possible and be harder to take out, causing potential fatal wounds for our foes." Molt turned back to his training troops, curiously if this plan of his worked then the empire could reclaim what it was rightfully hers and claim the land beyond.

"If this is all you have in store, why call me here to watch soldiers use crossbows all day?" "No, no not all all your majesty." He said in a quite but serious tone, "I have something much more potent to show." He showed they way and they walked down through the Garrison and outside to where a beautiful white carriage was waiting for them. "After you your majesty." The general kindly opened the carriage door for the emperor who climbed with Demos following soon after.

With a the sound of a whip the carriage moved forward to their destination. "So tell me general, what is your scheme?" "I working on new ways to strike back against the Other-worlders your majesty." He explained, "With the use of...unconventional means I sure we can push them back to Alnus." He sounded so sure if himself, what silly plan did he have?

It didn't take long as it they reached a forest North-east of the capital and down a lonely road. "It seems you wish to keep this plan our yours a guarded secret even from the senate." "Yes, I highly doubt the weak-hearted senators could understand the sacrifices needed in order to win wars." Demos had not been very popular for he was Lupa legion general and for his lower status upbringing.

He was bald with a long scar that ran from his just below his left all the way down to his chin, giving him a rigid look. Then the carriage slowly halted in front of a small fort with tall wooden walls made of wooded and watchtowers on either side of the gate.

Just as the two exited the carrage the gate door slowly opening revealing a rather barren interior other then a few shacks but to the right was a wired contraption. It had a pump on one end with a long bronze pipe that went through one end of a large pot and out the other which went up to a nozzle that had wick at the front. Underneath the pot was a bellows and pile of charcoal.

"Your majesty, please, come this way." He said as he led the emperor to the device. "This is my majesty, is a flamma serpentis. This will be used be the Imperial army to alight any Other-world barbarian that dares come too close. It simply works by heating his pot filled with Wyvern oil, pumping air into the pot so there's pressure to expel out the vapors and finally the outward flow is controlled by his lever right by the nozzle." The general grabbed it and rubbed the thing with his thumb. "Once you up this down it shoots out flame like a dragon!"

"But how do you expect this weapon to survive combat, the Other-worlders could simply blow it smithereens." Demos with saying a word clapped his hands and six soldiers came jogging to the contraption, carrying a target and a jug. As the target was get up the soldier carrying the jug pulled a cork out of the pot with oil and closed it up with said cork, at the same time a soldier placed a burning torch on the charcoal setting it ablaze, the speed most like due to also cover the charcoal with the wyvern oil. Two soldiers then started to pump and moving in synchronized movements sending the compressed air through the pips, after three minutes the two soldiers stopped and stood straight like stone statue.

"After about three minutes the air pressure is finally enough to expel the vapors, now, release the fire!" With a drama order the valve was loosen sending a stream of hot flames flying out and cover the target in liquid fire. For ten seconds the emperor watch the fire engulf the target and quickly turn it into ash. "We intend to have them in special earthworks only half a man's torso down giving them amble protection and camouflage against a foe."

The emperor's face was cold but he was both excited and terrified of the new weapon, this could turn back the tide and sent the enemy packing but this wasn't war like he had learned into understand, this was a whole new kind that saw man go into his darkest depts to destroy one another.

"And we're just getting started, just wait until you see the continua ballista." The two entered of of the structure and inside was a large crate like object standing up wards with cranks on the side. "Please, enter." Two soldiers came to the cranks and slowly turned the cranks which in turn made the contraption go down. "What is this contraption general?" "This is a elevator, it allows us excess to my facility where the empire's most important weapons will be tested." 'It seems I'm with a madman' He thought, 'He better not be wasting my time.'

This took WAY too long to complete, seeing how long it was between the break. I apologize to those who thought i'd kill off the Order of the roses but hey, they'd make good puppets later down the line. And as you can see I didn't want the empire to entirely be merely be a chew toy for the US army to simply tear to shreds in completely one side Mericaboo jerk-feasts, what I really didn't like in the original GATE was the Empire's lack off will to at least try to adapt but don't worry we won't have magicians single handedly winning battles.

Next time we'll finally see our favorite bastard: Zorzal