Sadera, Falmart
24th September 2019
Staring at the senate, Emperor Molt took in the chaotic scene before him, sighing as he tapped his fingers on the armrest of the throne as he watched his senators argue with one another. None could agree on what to do about the situation developing at Alnus Hill and the Gate that lay upon it. "We must show strength!" One Senator erupted, "We must cut our losses and make peace." rebutted another. "How do we know they'll even want it!"
Feeling as if the time was right to interrupt the Senator's Molt spoke in a booming and commanding voice. "Senators, I share your concerns. We've been through many a crisis such as this, do not forget the artic war two and half centuries ago and the hardships our Empire faced. We prevailed then, and we shall do so now. While the Imperial army has been battered, it has not been beaten, and it has not been broken!"
"Then we must rally the legions and take the fight to the foe who dares occupy Alnus!" a senator enthusiastically shouted.
"We have lost a sixth of our forces due to the invasion and defence at Alnus. We have no legions to spare to mount a counterattack. They're all needed elsewhere, and even if they could be spared, It would take far too long to redeploy them to mount an effective response. Training replacements is also out of the question. We lost some of our best field commanders and soldiers, we sent our best, and almost none have returned."
"Not to worry, Senator The Empire does not stand alone. In times of crisis, we've banded together with our allies. Once Again, we shall stand shoulder to shoulder and muster the might of the allied kingdoms," Molt roared as he stood up from his throne. "Send out our messengers far and wide, call our allies to war. We shall retake Alnus Hill and push these barbarians back through the Gate and ensure the Empire's future," Molt continued as he shifted his body and pointed towards the exit of the building as a smile slowly crept onto his face as the senators applauded him.
Watching as the Senators left the chamber, Molt finally let out a sigh once the last Senator left.
"When I had called the allied armies, I didn't think we'd actually require their assistance in the field of battle., they were to be an occupying force to supplement our legions. This was done only to make the vassals feel important and remind them of their oaths,"
"These are extraordinary times, your Imperial Majesty. No one could have predicted we would lose an entire legion of troops when we ventured through the Gate.
"Must you always be so formal, Marcus? No matter, Hopefully, they'll buy us the time we need to redeploy and to start training up new Legions. Then, at the very least should they fail, we shall not have to worry about them contemplating any sort of challenge to the throne."
"Forgive me, my Emperor. Such is the way I am, Indeed even should they succeed against those from beyond the Gate, their forces would likely be considerably diminished and unable to present a tangible threat to the Empire. On a related matter, what if The Senate refuses an expansion of the army?"
"We'll find a way to convince the good Senators to do their duty and come to the right decision. We always do, my dear Marcus." Molt exclaimed as a twisted grin appeared on his face.
Alnus Hill, Falmart
26th September 2019
"Now why are digging trenches when our enemy doesn't have anything to shoot at us besides arrows," Private Derek Macdonald asked as he shovelled up another piece of dirt and tossed it aside.
"They still have siege weapons and fliers too. Private MacDonald," Master Corporal Austin Travis replied sarcastically as he lifted his shovel.
"I know, but they don't exactly seem to be a threat, and besides, Don't we have machines to help with the entrenchment,"
"They're currently digging the mass grave for all the Imperial casualties and helping set up the base,"
"Even after four days of being here, they're still burying bodies? You'd think they'd be done by now."
"You'd think so, but I guess there are that many or focusing on clearing out the camp and making way for our equipment and American equipment is taking priority,"
"You know I've been thinking. Isn't it strange that the Gate showed up in Winnipeg of all places? I mean, aliens almost always target New York, LA, sometimes D.C, and in Japanese stuff, Tokyo. It just feels weird given all the cliches,"
"Guess Hollywood is wrong about another thing though it does feel weird. Say you and the Sarge are from Winnipeg, right?" Shino butted in.
"Yeah, why do you ask?" Derek replied.
"Is the Sargent usually like this?" She asked, gesturing to Alex, who was silently and aggressively digging foxholes and trenches.
"Don't know him too well but from what've seen of him. No, this isn't like him at all. Just because we're from the same city doesn't mean we're from the same unit. I'm Cameron Highlanders, and he's Winnipeg Rifles,"
"So he wasn't always like that before. Then, in that case, what was he like?"
"As I said, I didn't interact with him much, but from what little I know, he seemed nice, and the guys in his section liked him. It feels like he did a complete one-eighty personality-wise from then to now."
"Could it be the attack that caused the shift in personality? He lose anyone?"
"It's certainly possible, Shino, and it'd make a lot of sense if it did affect him like this, but as I said before, I wasn't particularly close to him, and I'm not just going to go up and ask him that's the shrinks job, not mine. I just hope he manages to get past this."
Allied Camp, Falmart
26th September 2019
Sitting at the table, King Ulrich Duran of Elbe and King Ebrulf of Mudwan watched as four people wearing strangely coloured clothes were escorted by several royal guardsmen.
"My Lords, I bring with me men from the barbarian's encampment atop Alnus. They wish to negotiate terms with you," The escort said as he took a knee.
"Rise, son of Mudwan, you are dismissed" Looking at the four men, Duran noticed that one of the four had a different patterned uniform.
'Vassals perhaps or An allied tribe or clan?' Duran thought to himself.
Looking at the other three, he noticed that two of them were carrying strange black metallic staffs of some kind along with what looked to be a padded helmet of sorts. They all appeared fairly young; however, like with the Elves or Dwarves, they may not be as young as they seemed. The fourth man had nothing covering his head and some odd sidearm on the outside of his thigh, and like the others, he appeared to be only slightly older than the two men with the strange staves. Looking back to the one wearing the different pattern and a fabric head covering with a firm flat structure extending slightly from the forehead with a curved edge. Looking back at all of them, Duran noticed that they all had some form of writing on their clothes.
'Is that Old Sederan? How would people from beyond the Gate know of the old Sederan language?'
'Where are their swords and armour? Surely even Barbarians would have such things for their warriors,' Duran thought to himself, perplexed by the seemingly unarmed state of the men before him. If they had truly come to discuss terms, it might explain why they did not bear arms and came without armour.
"Speak, Barbarian. We have allowed you to come before us. Do not waste our time. Who are you, and what brings you to our camp," Ebrulf was slightly annoyed by the lack of respect being shown. These strangers were barbarians clothed in ugly splotchy rags and did not even possess proper weapons. They did not kneel, bow, nor even salute, but it was also expected. How could he expect them to have manners?
"I am Captain Wyatt Scott of the Canadian Army, and the man next to me is Lieutenant Logan Roberson of the United States, both nations from beyond the Gate. To whom are we addressing?. And as to Our Purpose here is we seek to prevent needless conflict and bloodshed between our two forces,"
"You speak to not only Mudwan's King, but one of its greatest warriors and One of the leaders of the allied Kingdoms honour bound to stand with the Empire against its enemies! If I were not a man of honour, I would cut you down where you stand! Beyond the Gate! Then you are the ones the Empire has called us to rally against.
"You speak of avoiding battle. Where is your honour and pride? What kind of man recoils from a fight? Only a coward hides from the glory of battle and Emory's embrace. Perhaps all men from your side of the Gate are as soft as you."
"We have honour. But we know when and where to pick our fights and who to make our enemies. Our wish is to prevent a needless loss of life, and we take no pleasure in killing and see no honour or glory in war. The Empire launched an unprovoked attack against our country, and we have come to ensure such a thing never occurs again.
To Duran, the way the Canadan spoke made winter's ice almost seem like a warm summer's wind. This man, at the very least, was not weak and certainly not soft. Though his tone was icy, his face remained still, unafraid and unmoved even in the presence of some of arguably the most powerful individuals of Falmart. Was this man simply ignorant, or did he and his forces possess something that would allow for such arrogance? Powerful magic, beasts or..."
"You see, Duran, they are cowards, So afraid of our might that they refuse to even take the field against us! Allow me to educate you, primitive barbarians, as to what will happen. We will march upon Alnus Hill. We will butcher your men, despoil your women, take your children as slaves and conquer your lands for the Empire,"
"I do hope you will reconsider your present course of action if not for yourselves then for your men. But in the event that you choose to disregard our warnings, know that not only will you be defeated, your forces shall not even reach close enough to strike us with your furthest ranged weapons."
"Begone from my sight, welp! The next time we meet, it shall be with my sword embedded in your chest."
"We shall take our leave then. We hope you will make the right decision."
A few moments after the Canadians and American depart
"My friend, you have let your temper get the best of you again. There were still some things we may have learned from them."
"Hmph, have you you become afraid in your old age Lord Duran! Do the men from beyond the Gate frighten you? If so, my men and I shall lead the vanguard and claim the glory and riches of the new world for ourselves."
"Do...not...speak to me in such a manner again, King of Mudwan. I know you care greatly for your men, and that is why I sought to learn more from those other worlders."
"I...yes forgive me that was unworthy, few have accomplished as much as you have for as long as you have. Is there anything you observed while I was making a fool of myself? Haha"
"They were not cowards. To be a coward, one's fear must be greater than their resolve, and I felt no fear from them. Whether through naivety, ignorance, or courage, those men were not afraid, with Firm hands and legs, strong gazes, calm voices and focused eyes. They did not bark or put out their chests like so many do when they attempt to portray an aura of assuredness. But, nevertheless, we should be wary of whatever tricks or powers these men of Canada may employ. Additionally, they both seem to be familiar with the old Saderan language. Something is going on that Molt isn't telling us, and I don't like it,"
"I think you may be overreacting, Lord Duran, but you are rarely if ever mistaken when it comes to matters of war and battle. I will take your counsel under advisement. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must prepare my troops to lead the vanguard."
"You still wish to be at the forefront, my friend?"
"But of course! There shall be much more plunder and spoils to be had, haha! I shall see you when we dine, do bring the Elbian wine if you've got any. It may be rougher than what those Imperials drink, but I can't get enough of the stuff. A strong drink for strong men, for the Empire and our Kingdoms!" As Ebrulf departed the tent, he counted himself fortunate they shared a strong bond of friendship as most men of Duran's position and power would have been far less forgiving at his blatant show of disrespect. Despite both being respected warriors and kings, Duran had been his better since before he was old enough to wield a blade. It was whispered that even the Emperor was wary of the Lion of Elbe and made sure not to openly antagonize him. Duran had never once belittled him, and guilt tugged at his heart. He would treat his old friend better and apologize after the battle.
"I truly hope all will go as easily as we wish it to...pfft talking to myself maybe he's right, and I am getting too old for all this foolishness. I think I've got one more fight in me."
Meanwhile, as the Canadians and their American colleagues made their way back towards Alnus Hill, they were in the midst of their own discussion.
"What do you think, Captain Scott, will they engage us?
"I suspect so, Lieutenant. They have no reason to believe they won't succeed, especially with the size of their forces. They also repeatedly referred to us as barbarians. They likely don't consider us a threat. The fact they even met with us is surprising."
"Could we perform a show of force, maybe get them to reconsider their attack?" suggested one of the escorts.
"Magic, monsters, war, and God knows what else there is in this world. I doubt men who are so familiar with death would be intimidated. They might even believe our demonstration to be an attack that failed and embolden them further. I believe the best we can hope for is that they figure out throwing bodies at us isn't going to work. I hope they will see sense, but all we can do is try to pick up the pieces until that time. Now, let's get back to base and inform the Colonel of the situation." The Captian gave a last look towards the tens of thousands of armoured soldiers and brightly coloured banners. As he turned away and entered the G-Wagon, he felt only pity for all those men who were never going home again.
A.N
Alright finally was able to get this out after several weeks of dealing with writers block. So hopefully that's over with and I can move onto the release schedule I've had planned going forth for both stories of mine now. Going forth this and my other story shall be done on a bi-weekly basis. This should give me more time to plan things out and mean better chapters for all of you guys. I've also gotten a beta reader for this story so quality should go up on this. That's about all I gotta say so see you guys next time