Hey there, this is a sample chapter of a fanfic that I had in mind. There would be a couple more teasers coming along soon, so you guys can see what each possible idea is about, and decide for me which to write. Enjoy!
"All rise for his highness Zorzal El Caesar, crown prince of the great Saderan Empire, the enlightener, the sword of the realm, and protector of Proptor," a herald announced as the tall, blond man strode into the room, followed by his close friend Herm and the old mage, Godasen. Behind the trio, half a dozen Imperial Guards streamed into the room and positioned themselves in a circle around the conference table in the middle of the room.
Zorzal smirked as the three barbarians looked at his imposing bodyguards nervously. It seemed that his intimidation tactics were working. He had seen how their soldiers looked, with their poorly dyed leather - no, now that he thinks back it seemed like they are still stuck with vests of thick cloth, something the Empire had abandoned for hundreds of years - armor and knew that his men in their heavy plate mail encrusted with precious stones and delicate engravings would surely awe the savages into submission.
Confidently, he strode to the head of the table and plopped down on the seat, which was surprisingly comfortable. He sniffed the handle and caressed the foreign fabric curiously. It seemed to be covered entirely with a strange, high-quality cloth. At least they have some good craftsmen. "This chair is quite pleasant. I wonder who made it?"
"That chair is manufactured by Ekornes, your highness. If you like it, we can give it to you as a gift of goodwill," replied one of the barbarians.
"I see. I guess you wouldn't mind if I borrow this Eh-Corns person, do you?"
"That would be quite impossible, your highness," he replied nervously. "You see, Ekornes is not a single person but a whole company."
"Well then, I'd just bring them all with me!" Zorzal laughed. "I can free up space for thirty on my Immortal. Their families can come along if they wish to, and their slaves as well."
"I'm afraid that would be impossible as well, as their company is not located in our country."
Zorzal frowned. So they imported this chair? It would seem like he overestimated them.
These are savages, he reminded himself. Expect nothing, demand everything, and you won't be disappointed. Still, this chair does feel good. He reminded himself to find this Eh-Corns company later on. It would probably be from one of the First or Second Civilisation countries, based on its craftsmanship.
Looking back at the three staring stupidly at him, he gestured for the meeting to start. "Take a seat. Civilized people shouldn't stand in a meeting. It's considered rude, you know?" Gods, I didn't endure two weeks of sailing just to come to some miserable island to teach barbarians manners.
Thankfully, they took the hint and sat down in a line on his left. The man seated beside him opened his mouth, "Your highness, on behalf of my country, I'd like to welcome you to - "
He cut him off with a glare. "You will only speak when I tell you to, understand?" For a moment the man looked as if he wanted to argue, but ultimately back down. "Good. Now firstly, I am Crown Prince Zorzal El Caesar of the illustrious Saderan Empire, and this is Viscount Herm Fule Maio, my close friend and adviser. And that one over there is... Godasen."
At this, his counterparts stood and introduced themselves. "I am Doctor Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of Foreign affairs, and this is Miss Asha Sueh, my assistant. The man at the end is Professor Edwin Wright, a scholar in Latin and Roman cultures..."
Zorzal nodded uninterestedly. He was just here to secure their allegiance, not learn who they are. The one thing he was interested in was the only woman in the room. Although her bust was smaller than what he like, her tight-fitting dress clearly outlined her ample rear. I wonder if she would moan when I fuck her?
Herm poked him and the prince looked up to see everyone looking at him intently. He winked at her and cleared his throat. "I'd like to thank your country for your hospitality, although the ceremonies are only befitting of someone of my station. As a form repayment, and a sign of good faith, do accept these gifts from the Empire."
Herm clapped his hands, and the door was thrown open once more. Four of his guards entered, two of them carrying a heavy chest and a cask while the other two led in a slave each. "This is a cask of our finest wine, straight from the vineyard of my father the Emperor, and in this chest are some of our prime exports, such as porcelain, tapestry, silk. But our most valuable goods are these two," he explained, gesturing to the chained warrior bunny and neko.
He noted that the three had a strange look on their face. "It's alright, there's nothing to fear. These two have been throughoutly tamed," Herms reassured them.
Zorzal chuckled, "Indeed, I can testify that. After all, I was the one who broke her. Ain't I right, Tyuule?"
The warrior bunny looked up. "Yes... your highness." There was a rebellious glint in her eyes that Zorzal loved. It had been a hard choice for him, but after she tried to bite his member off for the third time, he decided that a life in the royal palace was too good for the fallen queen. He'd give her to some remote barbarian country, to be abused and tortured by the senseless savages as they pleased.
The Neko had been a gift from Diablo. What his ambitious brother thought it would do he had no idea. Perhaps he thought that the barbarians would be a bunch of cat girl worshiping weirdos. Like that's even possible.
The doctor waved his hands. Zorzal nodded and signaled for him to speak.
"We thank you for your generosity, your highness. I'm sure our historians would be having a field day."
Historians? The prince wondered what type of people is that. A glance at Herm told him that his friend had no idea as well. But the point was clear. They liked the gifts. He smirked and got ready to continue.
But the man went on. "However, I'm afraid that we cannot accept the slaves as our constitution outlaws slavery."
His smirk turned into a frown. "What do you mean? Are you turning down an offer from the Empire?"
"I'm sorry, but this is a direct violation of what my country believes in. We cannot, and will not tolerate any form of slavery on our islands."
"You... you dare to throw my generosity back in my face?! You damn sav-"
Luckily for Zorzal, Godasen intervened before things could escalate any further. "My prince, different people have different cultures. As we have yet to grasp to secrets of firepowder, so have these people not grasp the usage of slaves. It is our duty as an empire to educate them and help them see the light. Therefore, I pray that you can exhibit more leniency as a prince of the Empire should."
Turning to the diplomats, he reasoned. "You say that your people do not believe in slavery, right? Those two are yours once we give them to you. You can do anything to them, anything. Including giving their freedom back. But if you still refuse them, it would be a slight upon the honor of the Saderan Empire, and I warn you, few dare to cross our mighty empire, and for a good reason too."
He could see the wheels in the doctor's head spinning. After a few moments of consideration, he turned to the prince, who had calmed down a little. "Very well, your highness. We shall accept these two as... expellees from your Empire."
Zorzal didn't deem to reply except with a huff. Seeing this, Herm took his place and continued the negotiations. "You are lucky that prince Zorzal is in a good mood today. If he wasn't I would have cut off your uncouth tongue by now."
Dr. Vivian frowned. "I'm sure we are here today to discuss the possibility of building up bilateral ties between our countries, not to threaten each other."
"You- ugh, fine. Here are the terms, listen carefully. The Empire will dispatch an imperial officer to be the king of your nation. You will send a set amount of slaves to the Empire per year, as decided by his majesty-"
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Screamed the assistant.
Herm looked curiously at the owner of the voice. "And that is why we don't allow women in our politics," he remarked nonchalantly.
"What do you mean by that?" shouted Asha angrily. "I have just as much rights to protect the future of my country as anyone of you."
"Feisty, I like her," Zorzal chuckled. Vivian tried desperately to calm his indignant assistance down while Herm stared dumbfoundedly. He had never been shouted at by a girl before, except that time he slipped a hand down Panache's skirt. Oh, and the day Pina found out that he joined her Rose Toys just for the prestige.
"A-apologize now, you damn harlot!" He stuttered.
"Never! You fuckers think you can just waltz in here and demand our home? Shit just don't work like that! Bring on your Scorpios and legions, our boys will whack u so hard you can't find your ass with both-" Dr. Vivian pushed her out of the room and closed the door. He looked apologetically at the remaining members of the room. "I'm sorry for her outbreak, gentlemen, but the terms you dictated are way too harsh."
"Harsh? You savages don't know what harsh truly means. My father was a diplomat too, and he once ordered a whole tribe to be executed because they refused to bow to our gods. As I said before, I'm being lenient here. Don't abuse my benevolence."
"Viscount, we are not here to petrify them. If you antagonize them, they might become determined to fight back," Godasen whispered in his ears.
"Are you scared of them?" Herm retorted. "They are still using clubs and staves!"
"No I am not, but I do know that a bloodless victory tastes better than a bloody one. We are not demons. We are saviors, here to bring them out of the darkness of barbarity. If you see them as irredeemable, unintelligent animals instead of a willful child in need of enlightenment, then maybe you shouldn't be the one talking."
"Tch, how can you remain so calm in the face of this?"
"I'm older. I no longer process the fiery nature of you youngsters anymore. Go take a walk with his highness and let me reason with them. When you return I would have convinced them already."
"Fine, I saw this room with a bunch of magical mirrors down the hallway. Looked interesting. I'll bring Zorzal along with me. Good luck with them, Grand Mage." Standing up, he threw a glare at the remaining diplomats and pulled Zorzal, who lost all interest when Asha left, out of the room. Most of the guards followed the duo, leaving Godasen and 2 of his men along with the locals behind.
"I apologize for the rash behavior of my colleagues," Godasen said in an attempt to restart the conversation. "Let me introduce myself. I am Godason, a member of the Saderan Senate and a Grand Mage of Rondel. From what I understand, you think that our terms are too overtaxing. But... I'm afraid that that wasn't even a tenth of the list."
"Is that so?" Dr. Vivian sighed. How long would this farce last? All this bullshit just to get a Casus Belli, what a waste of time. "I guess we can go over them first."
"Very well. First, the Empire will dispatch an imperial officer to be the king of your nation. You will send a set amount of slaves to the Empire per year, as decided by his majesty Molt Sol Augustus. You will send three members of the current royal family to the capital Sadera as hostages. You will declare all resources in your country, and provide then whenever the Empire requests them. Considering your proximity to two other world powers, you will be allowed to keep your own army, but it shall be under the command of the Governor of the Western Districts." Godasen stopped to take a breath. "You will grant extraterritoriality to all Saderan citizens. Your laws shall be audited by the Empire and revised as necessary. You will not establish any diplomatic ties with foreign nations without the permission of the Empire. You shall disclose all your magical technologies to the Empire..."
"Is that all?" Dr. Vivian interrupted, a bitter smile on his face.
"No, of course not," Godasen replied irritably. "Why do you ask? Is there a problem?"
"Yes, are these considered the normal terms in this world? I mean, truthfully, do you consider these terms fair?"
The mage stroked his beard. "Hmmm, I did not expect such a question from a unlearn lout. Truthfully, you say. Very well, I promise to tell no lies. I suppose, if you are to stand from a bystander's viewpoint, he would think that we are putting a heavy yoke on you. But such is the way of the world. The strong shall rule over the weak, as the lion preys after the ewe."
"So you would make us your vassals. No, Colony is a much better word for it. You are taking away everything. Our sovereignty, our freedom, our people."
"For a reason. Let me tell you a story, Mr. Vee-Van. Long ago, there was a nation of warrior bunnies, of the same race as Tyuule over there. They were conquered and farmed for food by a group of savage wild men, but we defeated them and set the bunnies free and let them govern themselves. In our innocence then, we believe that we could co-exist with different races."
"But that was not the case. The warrior bunnies were unable to suppress their urge for bloodshed and would kill innocent just to sate their bloodlust. They forgot who saved them many years ago. They forgot who their masters were. It became a thorn to the empire as we repeatedly tried to stop them peacefully. But they refused to stop and prince Zorzal had to personally lead an army to stop those monsters. Do you understand what I mean now?"
"Yeah, your prince just gave us a bloodthirsty monster."
"NO! Gods, you savages can be dim-witted. I mean that the Empire cannot afford to be soft-hearted. We govern half a continent and dozens of different races. The moment we losen our hold, the whole continent would be awash in bloodshed once more. WE are the only thing between order and chaos. It is the will of the gods for us, the superior race, to dominate and protect all you barbarians."
"So you enslave us to protect us?"
Godasen was nearly tearing his air out in frustration. "NO! Idos help me, your idiocy is killing me. The tributes are needed to maintain a sense of hierarchy. To help you remember your place in this world - a child of the illustrious Saderan Empire, one of the Ten World Powers - so that we can better educate you."
"Are you going to teach us how to fight in a colosseum too?"
"NO! What on earth is a Colosseum?" The old man took a deep breath before continuing. "Whatever, I don't need you to understand. Just agree with our terms."
Vivian Balakrishnan crossed his arms. "No."
"Arrgggggggg!" For a few moments, Godasen looked as if he was having a heart attack. The diplomat wondered if he was going to 'educate' him on how the Saderan Empire dealt with cardiac arrests.
"You just don't understand the situation you are in now, do you?" The old man panted. "I'm here to help. Don't scorn the help."
It was then that Professor Wright, who had been silent till now, spoke up. "Forgive me for interrupting, but I must say that when looking back through history, the only cases where a nation demanded the installation of a puppet government is when they were seeking to colonize the later for their own advantages. Rome, China, the Spanish Empire, the British Empire, the Japanese Empire, Nazis, Soviets, the list goes on. This makes me wonder what is the difference between - what did you call yourself? Saviors, I believe - and greedy colonial powers?"
Godasen's mouth opened in shock. "How did you understand what I said to Viscount Herm? I was using the Imperial language!"
"Well, this Imperial language you used is a dialect, probably from the area of Brittania, of a language known to us as Latin. Some words seemed to have different meanings, and some new vocabulary has been added, but overall I can still grasp the gist of it."
"Interesting, it seems that our Empire's presence has reached your islands long before us. But as for your question, my only answer is that we are not them. I don't know what those countries you mentioned were. But I'm sure that the Empire is a thousand times stronger, richer, and more advanced than them," The mage paused to take out a few lambskin scrolls. "There is a reason why we have a place among the Top Ten. The sheer national power we process is beyond the comprehension of you savages. Look, this is a map of the magnificent Saderan Empire. The width of my palm is equivalent to 500 leagues. This means that our territory covers over 2000 thousand leagues from one end to the other. We field over a million legionaries and can triple that number if needed. Seven hundred wyverns maintain absolute control over our skies, and six hundred ships patrol our waters. We hold domain over 14 kingdoms and half a hundred lesser tribes like yours."
He stopped and looked at them smugly. "Now I understand that you must be bewildered by these numbers. A million is a thousand thousand, you see. So you take a thousand - I hope you understand what a thousand is - and add another thousand. Repeat if for nine hundred and-"
Dr. Vivian bit his lips. It's bad enough that the Saderans were expansionist and slavers. But they're unbelievably arrogant and conceited as well. He was sorely tempted to order the overwatch teams to put a bullet through his head, but the meeting's being monitored by the whole cabinet. He had to maintain professionalism, and he was under strict orders to probe the Saderans and make them admit their motives plainly, with no way for the media to twist their words.
"Look, I know what a million is. In fact, I know what a zillion and quadrillion are too. But I fail to see your point. Your Empire is big, then?"
"Then?! Then it means that we can crush your nation anytime we wish to! Are you that stupid? Even a dog knows when to submit to its superiors. I'm starting to understand Viscount Herm now. We are generously offering you a choice here. Become our colony now and prosper, or we will send our legions and MAKE you our colony, after watering your lands with blood."
"So you are saying that if we do not willingly become your colony, you will invade our country?"
"Well, that's an uncouth way to put it. We prefer using the word 'liberate', you from the darkness of savagery."
"And is this the direct intention of the whole Saderan Empire?"
"Of course. Are you doubting my credibility?" Godasen laughed. "You can ask prince Zorzal or anyone from the royal court. The Emperor himself decreed that we are to bring you into our fold."
"Can you provide solid evidence of what you claimed?"
"Why would you want to see that? Is my word not enough?"
"In our history, there were cases where a subordinate tried to start a war behind his superior's acknowledgments. We don't want to arrest the wrong-" Professor Wright said, only to be cut off by Dr. Vivian. "Let's just say that I'm curious."
"Fine, don't dirty it with your hand," replied Godasen begrudgingly, taking our yet another scroll. Professor Wright took it carefully and read it silently.
"It would seem like this is a scroll directly from their Emperor ordering them to colonize us," the scholar decided.
"Anything about an invasion?" Dr. Vivian asked.
"No, I don't think so."
"If you think that I'm bluffing about the invasion, think again," Godasen warned. "We can mobilize in less than 2 months, and there are already a dozen ships and two thousand men moored by your harbor. It's originally meant to be an escort for the prince, but I'm sure he would be happy to lead it against you. That would be a worse outcome. His highness can be very... just when it comes to dealing out punishments after defeating his foes."
"Then it is my duty as an official to warn you not to trespass into our territorial waters. If you do so it would be considered an act of war, and all the commanders would be guilty of the crime of aggression."
"Only if you force our hands, that is. I'm leaving these scrolls with you - don't dirty them! You have one day to decide the fate of your nation. I hope you are smart enough to make the right choice," Godasen sighed. "Idos knows that I am trying to protect you. You simply have no way of understanding what you are facing. The might of the Empire, where every single soldier, even the lowly auxiliaries, are armed with triple forged iron swords; which have stood unshaken for 600 years; who is blessed by the great god Idos himself; it is beyond anything you can imagine."
The old mage looked at the two locals staring at him snugly. "Think of your children. Bow, and they shall be brought up as civilized people. There's so much we can teach you. Bathhouses, Chariot racing, the art of making wine, dyeing, how to forge metal so your men wouldn't have to use those ugly clubs anymore. But I guess you wouldn't understand. You savages know only the language of cold steel - and the humiliation and suffering that follows it. Good day, Mister Vee-Van."
"Goodbye. Senator Godason. We thank you for being so frank with us. It has been a very enlightening and beneficial meeting for both me and Mr. Wright," Dr. Vivian replied, secretly glad that the arrogant piece of shit was leaving.
Standing up, Godason gathered up his toga and motioned to his men, who opened the door for him. Just as he was about to step out, he turned around. "And mister Vee-van? When you wish to surrender, just tell your warriors to throw away their weapons and prostrate on the ground. If our legionaries are feeling merciful they might be spared." And he was gone.
"What now, then?" Professor Edwin asked while pouring over each line of the sheepskin scrolls meticulously. "War?"
Dr. Vivian looked out of the window towards the opposite building, where if one knew where to look, could see squads of commandos discreetly making their way out of their hidden position. "We'll show the recording to the people. And they shall decide our fate."
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