Im back! Now I want to say thank you for your feedback, I am glad that you are all enjoying my work. Sometime later I'll have to go back and fix the spelling errors in chapter one in the near future and will be working on adding more dialogue.
July 20th, 2016 AD of the Georgian calendar
"Oh...oh god..." He heard a soldier solemnly say as they all looked at the carnage before them, thousands upon thousands of bodies laid across the battlefield and swarms of crows and vultures happily enjoying their buffet. The 75th Rangers regiment supported by a tank platoon of M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks including a handful of mortars had single handedly won the first battle that was to be fought in the new world against the Saderans. Two weeks later they still were collecting bodies.
Over the time the United States army had been planning and building up resources, men and equipment for upcoming invasion; the Rangers and even the infamous Marine raiders regiment camped out at Alnus and did reconnaissance, scouting out the area for any potential threats and generally the landscape. Most that happened was that a squad would encounter a enemy detachment, get into a quick firefight and get out.
They were even kind enough to build trenches to wallow in when ducking from arrows. "Alrighty ladies, one of our drones have spotted a large enemy force heading our way 3 clicks north so strapped up and don't waste your fucking ammo." Johnson could hear Captain Felkins, leader of his company call out and just in time he could see the enemy formation
Johnson pulled the bolt to his M4 carbine and let it snap into place, signifying that is weapon was ready to fire. Meanwhile Zhao had set his M240 machine gun on the parapet ready to spit out lead. 'Oh shit, that's alot of people.' He thought to himself as saw thousands of soldiers, knights on horseback, orcs, ogres and probably trolls all in formation slowly marching forward but then the massive army had stopped dead in their tracks and he mentally face palmed; they were looking at the sign that they'd put up for civilians.
"Danger! Only US military personnel are permitted beyond this point! Those who trespass and don't comply will be shot!"
They after the first attack had erected a giant sign in both English and the strange writing system that this world used, hoping to keep any curious civilians from straying into the crossfire which surprisingly worked very well with no incident until now.
The army of this world continued on, not understanding that this would be their final mistake as multiple M119 towed and M109 self-propelled guns began to fire their deadly gifts to the enemy, destroying whole formations in seconds.
He and the other Americans could only watch as their adversaries dropped like flies trying to figure out what was going on, Johnson felt a small amount of pity tug at his heart but he was a soldier, not a charity worker.
Even so the Saderans continued to move up while their numbers rapidly dwindled and getting ever closer "Werewolf-1, this is werewolf-5! Request permission to engage over!" The company radio man could be heard yelling to someone on the overside in a quickly made dugout. "This is werewolf-1, you have permission to engage, over." "Sir, we have permission!"
"You all heard him, fire at will!" Shouted the Captain and Immediately the trenches lit up as the Americans rained down fire upon the defenseless Saderans, after about ten minutes or so of this finally broke their morale and what was left ran away. "Incoming!" But then a massive hail of arrows could be seen flying high above and starting their plummeting to earth intending to hit them. Soldiers kneeled down and covered their heads with most harmless missing but then there was a load scream to his left.
A poor guy was laying on the ground with a arrow square into his shoulder while his comrades quickly tended to his wound. "Goddamn it! Why didn't ya keep your fucking head down!" Yelled a soldier as he applied pressure waiting for the medic to arrive. "Well be more careful next time, they may be primitive but a sword can kill just like any firearms." Adds Zhao while he on the other hand begins to reload his smoking weapon.
-Three hours later at Allied armies HQ
"10,000 troops... all gone in just thirty minutes." a horrified general mumbles out as the men at the table though about the attack lead by king Ligo that had been smashed and torn to shreds before having the ability to even fight.
The same result happened just two weeks ago with the joint denfense of the gate by the remaining troops from the Imperial expedition into the other world and men lead by general Felgen, the later being lost in a desperate calvary charge.
"Where is the Imperial army? They promised 145,000 additional men with dark races and heavy artillery!" Demands King Mendak of the Kingdom of Toumaren, getting frustrated with the current situation. King Duran listened carefully, he had been of great service to the empire and had been the key factor to many of it's victories. "We must be patient gentleman. We wait until tomorrow to try again and this time with more men supported by creatures of the dark races, mages, ballistas, heavy catapults and of course Wyverns." Wyverns in particular were essential to victory as they allow short times between orders, scouting, harassing and demoralizing the enemy.
If he could use his wyvern riders to take out or at the very least keep them occupied then his troops could get in close and then if these other-worlders used their magical staffs then his mages could simply but their arrows on a different course. It was a bit of a gamble but with the fate of not only the empire but the whole of Falmart was at stack it was worth it.
Venuseos 21st, 687 AD of the Imperial calendar
The young mage desperately laid down on the dirt to his head from being blown off while covering his ears to make the noise at least somewhat bearable while the battle raged all around him.
He had volunteered after the Empire called for an additional 80,000 men to arms, joyfully signing up since his experiments in Rondel were going nowhere but now he wished he could go back in back.
The attack the day before had failed and his superiors had ordered him and many of his fellow mages to create force fields for the troops while the archers would chip away at the defenders or so he thought.
While arrows, large projectiles and ballista bolts had kept the enemy force occupied for a few minutes, their iron elephants had quickly destroyed them with ease and now once again the Imperial force was being slaughtered like cattle.
"Hey mage!" He looked up to see a soldier with a thick orange beard, "Cast a protect spell damn it we're-" the soldier couldn't complete his sentence as suddenly his head exploded, sending blood and small pieces of brain on the young mage's face.
A mage to his right had made a bubble to shield himself only to be obliterated by an explosion but then he was thrown off his feet by another explosion.
He for a few moments was in a daze, he then began to get nervous, why couldn't he hear anything? As be slowly got he felt felt something dripping down from his eyes, he rubbed his finger onto his earlobe and found out that that it was non other then crimson red blood.
These demons of death had taken his hearing and now if he were to die then he could take some with him to Hardy. With his remaining Mana he started to chant a spell and then all around things began to float like swords, spears, clubs, daggers, arrows, bolds and anything in between in a blue aura around them.
On command thousands of weapons began flying in a sharp arc in hopes of hitting something but he after expending his remaining energy collapsed. The last thing he saw before passing out was a formation of wyverns overhead.
-Half a league above Alnus
Captain Enic Haa Dangig watched from his wyvern the chaos below him, the allied kingdoms' attack was going horribly wrong with soldiers on the ground literally climbing over their own dead.
'Poor bastards...dying to a cowardly foe who only fight from a distance .' He and the men he lead would be the 2,100 wyvern riders whose task was to take out the enemy's war engines and soften their defenses.
The other worlders' iron elephants sat in dugouts where they spat out bright bolts of light that would explode on contact and the soldiers fired their black staffs in hastily made trenches and the iron catapults themselves were way back in the rear safe from the action.
Then Enic saw a uncommon yet familiar sight, a wave of weapons began to float in the air before being flung at the enemy, leaving a blue trail behind them. Usually it was used by mages to cut the opposing force down to size but was used sparingly as it took a massive tole on the mage's mana which but thankfully it appeared to have at least it did some damage.
Now the plan was simple, as the formation come in range of the enemy force they would split into three groups. The first group would dive down and spill blood of the soldiers hiding in their graves, avenging their fallen comrades on the ground. The second would destroy or disable the iron elephants with stones, small fire pots and special spears forged by the dwarves and the final group would attack the enemy cadapults. With them distracted the allied armies could come in and win the battle in close quarter fighting but things would quickly went south for the wyvern riders.
Suddenly multiple things that shinned bright like tiny flares with a white trail behind them heading straight for the formation!
"Everyone scatter!" He yelled but it was to late, these magical lights followed them were ever they went and exploded when it hit a wyvern. It was complete chaos, no matter what maneuvers the riders did nothing could help them escape, some were in so panicked then a few collided with each other, and things got worse as a loud bbbbbbrrrrrrr sound filled then air as red bolts of light flew into the sky and tore the wyverns along with their riders to pieces.
"Fall back and regroup!" Enic ordered desperately trying to get him and him men out of this killing zone, the others didn't have to think twice but still as they flew away from the scene wyverns would scream as they were hit, sealing the fate of their riders to a brutal death. Enic knew he would be disgraced and his honor shattered but it was clear, the empire had made a very, very powerful enemy.
-six hours later at Alnus hill
"On the way!" Corporal Smith heard his gunner Ron Williams call out as he fired the main gun of their M1A2 Abrams at the group of Saderans charging at the American lines, falsely believing that attacking at night would give them an advantage. It was honestly boring watching them in their pathetic attempt at fighting the superior American army in open battle.
The US army hadn't fought a conventional war since the opening days of the 2003 invasion of Iraq but fighting a fantasy army on a different planet wasn't too conventional was it? Tracer rounds lit up the sky while the mercilessly cut down the knockoff Romans as they got entangled on the recently placed barbed wire.
"Your clear!" Shouted Hector Pérez, shoving in another canister round in the breech before Williams fired once more and Cuban-American began to grab another shell. Smith sat there in silence watching this completely one sided massacre take placed, he was a seasoned tanker but he had never seen so many soldiers at once. Like a giant wave they charged ahead but the Americans would break their formations like butter.
Then in the corner in his vision port he saw something or rather someone in the dark, a lone man in dark red armor, matching helmet and a bow in his hand. "Williams we've got a tango 11 o'clock, drop his ass."
He turned the turret and aimed directly at this Saderan but in a one last show of defiance shot an arrow at the tank, harmlessly bouncing off the tank's armor. "One the way!" Williams fired a single shot at the man and a few seconds later hitting him, more then likely evaporating him. "This is Foxtrot actual, areas clear over." Said Smith to the rest of his platoon.
"Why didn't you just use the coaxial, ya think it was a tad overkill?" Asked their driver Private Thomas "Spongebob" Mckey, who had up to this point been unusually quiet. When he had joined the crew all he could do was whine and be a pain in the ass, earning him his nickname named after the famous cartoon character that lived in a pineapple under the sea. "We'll theres no such thing as overkill in fantasy." Replied Williams, "but you just wasted a-"
"Shut the fuck up Spongbob!" Barked Pérez, "your always running your fucking mouth. If my abuela were here she'd beat'cha with her wooden spoon or worse...her chancla." The thought alone sent shivers down the Cuban-American's spine.
"All of you can it or all three of your asses are mine! Is that understood?" The tank suddenly went silent as the rest of the crew looked at Smith shortly before all replied with the usual. 'I need a goddamn smoke.' The seasoned Sargent thought as he relaxed in his seat, finally glad he could get at least a minute of quiet time in his day.
Venuseos 22nd 687 AD of the Imperial calendar
Emperor Molt Sol Augustus the second of the mighty Saderan empire marched his way down the hallway of the Imperial palace. Built by his forefathers nearly a millennium ago it stood tall above the Capital city for all to see, with unforeseen riches and luxury only matched by the heavens.
He ignored the slaves who measly moved passed preparing to start their duties, the maids who washed the windows to their shinning glory and ignored the occasional patrol. His attention was on something far more important then the likes of which could understand as subjects.
As he turned the corner the emperor could see that at the end of the wing was a thick iron door guarded by two royal guards, men who earned their roles for their courage and loyalty to both him and the empire as a whole.
Without hesitation one of them opened the door revealing a stairway dimly lit by the few torches on the walls, the door closing as the emperor descended down into the dungeon.
Rarely did he go down there for he had no interest of seeing political dissidents being tortured for their crimes but the few times he did always went to the war room where he and his top military commanders would discuss the planning and progress of a military campaign.
It didn't take long until he reached the old wooden door, which opened before he could grab the handle; revealing General Kaeso Belletor, the supreme commander of all soldiers in the imperial army, second only to the emperor and apart of the war council.
The room was fairly big with a large table with four chairs and a large map of Falmart and the surrounding islands. Silently Belletor pulled out the emperor's seat and sat in his but something looked off, "Your highness... the allied armies have been totally d-defeated." Belletor became pale at Emperor Molt's reaction, not a face of shock or anger but rather he simply sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin. "So, what plans does the war council plan on doing?" He was know to be quite cold and would do anything to further his goals but shrug of the destruction of an entire coalition force will most either killed, wounded and the rest deserting.
"We believe the enemy will soon begin a offensive to capture the surrounding areas around Alnus hill including territories of our vassal and possibly even the city of Italica." The aging general explained, "But we plan on giving their occupation very miserable indeed. Various forts in Tebu and Roma shall hold off or at the very least stall the other-worlders as we poison the wells, kill the livestock and burn the wheat fields leaving them starving." The emperor listened carefully, wanting to make sure that his top general with still sharp.
"While that is happening the Lupa legions will cut off their-" "No." Belletor looked at the monarch with shock. "They'll have to live off the land, even with their magical weapons no army can bring the needed amount of food with them on a campaign far from home, conducting a scorched earth policy is enough." He then turned to General Doros Pinder of the Wyvern corps, a battle hardened general who's main tactic was the offense. "I suggest scouting out their positions to determine their true strength and how many of these magic war engines they have while whittling them downs for the men on the ground." The emperor improving nodded and turned to General Moselo Napalia of the Imperial fleet while not as strong as the other branches and most certainly not the Avionese navy still held a vital role of guarding against any naval and pirate aggression.
Unlike the other two Generals Napalia was more defensive and calculative, but ready to grab an opportunity. "The Imperial navy shall supply the army with supplies from the ports and deny the enemy the opportunity to engage on the sea. And if need we will give ships for a naval landing to resecure the Alnus peninsula."
"Good, the defeats on the other side of the gate and at Alnus are simply bumps on the road to victory; now bring honor and glory to the empire!" He stood up triumphantly and the three generals nodded in agreement but deep down they were worried, if they failed it'd mean not only would the empire that held itself together for over 690 years would fall and her people enslaved but their very lives would end if the emperor was displeased though in truth he was just as fearful as they were but for very different reasons.
July 22nd, 2016 AD of the Georgian calendar
"What's the report?" Asked 48 year old president Arthur Reed who sat in his chair in the fame oval office. Infont of him was General Frank Kowalski, supreme commander of all forces in the 'Special region' "Mr. President, I am happy to inform you that it was a success. We'll established a foothold on enemy soil and completely shattered his forces! The enemy has lost a significant number of their forces in the defense and counterattack at what the locals call Alnus hill."
He like the sound of that, a hostile nation had dared to attack the United states and worse commit egregious asks of violence against her people had been soundly defeated three times in a row now but this was a situation never in the nation's history had they experienced. A whole world possibly trillions of light years away or a alternate reality where fantasy was supposedly the norm and a nation that took extreme cues from the Roman empire.
When the people heard the possibility of fantasy turning in sci-fi many freaked out, many not knowing what to do but just as many were curious about this new world. Ranging from scientific debates about the possibility of this happening to the church where some claimed it was a sign from God and of course wacky conspiracy theories about how supposedly the government plotted the whole thing up just as an excuse to start a war, the gate had been the forefront in everyone's minds, including the political.
Many countries gave their condolences, viewing this as a second 9/11 that shattered the notion that America couldn't be attack on her own soil but showed that in times of nation emergency Americans of all creed could unite together and pull through.
Speaking of which, despite the fact that the invasion forces was destroyed it couldn't be the last time these Roman knock-offs fought on American soil. Days after the official surrender of what was left of the Saderan command an isolated force of 5 legions moved further into Long island . One of these legions that moved East had march to the southern coast into the smaller towns of long island, of course raiding, looting and killing as they went hoping to gain as much spoils of war as they could only to be halted by a last-ditch ragtag group of police officers, citizens, veterans, a platoon of marines from the 1st marines division and even the mayor himself at the town of Hempstead.
On April 14th, four whole days after the official surrender the last remaining legions were eradicated in what was known as the battle of East hills, only lasting about an hour as this time the invaders were met by the rest of the 1st marines assisted by law enforcement and air support, after that all organized Saderan activities on Earth was ended but in the following days small groups of them were spotted hiding. Many of these scattered remnants were arrested but in situations where they were caught by the vengeful citizenry usually ended in mass lynches. The ogres and other man-eating creatures weren't as easy to deal as they had much more strength and agility, but a shotgun loading with buckshot did just fine.
In the sky it was more or less the same, the men riding their dragons or wyverns if you want to get more specific were dropped like flies on the first day but like the legions a group had managed to escape the city but did get very far.
From the prisoners captured, the commander of the wyvern riders had been certain that if they didn't make a run for it then they'd die so on April 12 the 14 remaining wyvern riders took off and head north. Due to stormy weather grounding many aircraft that day they managed to get across the Long island sound and got as far as Hartford before being intercepted by a wing of F-22 Raptors will their air-to-air missiles and Vulcan rotary guns wiped out Saderans in minutes.
Back to the present day, from what Reed was hearing Operation Pompeii was going smoothly but there was one thing that was one his mind. "General." "Yes Mr.President?" "When will our aircraft being able to fly in the Special region? I don't want our brave men and women stuck in the dark about this world." He said, "The engineers are working double time, they should be done building the airstrip in three weeks but in the meantime we have a helicopter pad operational."
Reed let out a say of relief, he knew he made a good chose giving the position to Kowalski, a man who could make a plan on the fly and get the mission done without hassle. Though he hoped the enemy wouldn't be the same.
Im back, sorry for the long break, i was busy and will start updating much more quickly! So now both sides have plans for the near future, and will theEmpire after a few crushing defeats learn it's mistake or will it simply be crushed into dust like their adversariesof the past?