prologue 3 - the east

Saito scowled as he looked on from the top of the elven capitol's walls at the caravan of humans that was leaving to the east, back where they had come from. Pushing his blowing hair out his face he continued to glare at the caravan. "Bloody humans."

"That's not very nice, Saito."

Saito turned to see Tiffania standing just to his side behind him, her long elegant priestess robes flowing in the breeze. "Oh Tiffania, I didn't realize you were t-there, sorry."

"I've been with you since the eastern dignitaries left. Was it really necessary to walk along the entire length of the city's wall watching them?" Tiffania asked as she came up beside him and placed her hands on the walls crenellations.

"Yes. There's no telling what kind of treachery humans could be plotting." Saito said very seriously as he glared out at the horizon, the barest fleck of the human convoy still visible.

"Not all humans are bad, Saito. You know that!"

"I still don't trust them"

"And you shouldn't, at least not completely!" came another much older voice from behind them.

Saito and Tiffania turned around to see General Tandria walk up behind them, his face covered in a large content smile.

"Good afternoon, General." Tiffania greeted pleasantly with a slight bow that Tandria returned.

"Good afternoon indeed. But please remember that I acceded that position to Saito. I'm now merely his advisor." Tandria said calmly before turning to Saito. "I take it the meeting with the eastern ambassadors did not go well?"

Saito shook his head. "They wanted heaps of information on our country in exchange for a guarantee of peace, but they did not say even a word about their own country so I told them to only come back when they were more willing to speak as equals."

"Not even where they were from? Who they served?"

"All I got out of them was they're from a place called the Oda Shogunate and that they stated quite happily that they're people have almost completely conquered their country."

Tandria looked at him and nodded." Not a bad call then. The last thing we need is a country of conquerors at our doorstep."

"We already have to deal with that."

Tandria looked at Saito and sighed. "Saito, I'm sure your loving wife here has told you this already many times, but you need to stop being so against the nations of Halkeginia. We are technically allied with three of them now!"

"Only because we saved their rears against those demon summoners! If it wasn't for that they would be jumping on that Brimiric churches kill all the elves bandwagon!"

"Be that as it may Saito, Gallia, Germania, and Tristania are our allies, otherwise our son would not have been sent to Tristania to learn about their culture." Tiffania explained.

Saito scowled and turned around, looking out into the city. "I still don't agree with that decision."

"I know, but Isuka wanted to learn about their culture and their magic's. And it is good for the relations between our countries!"

"I still don't like it." Saito stated. "If Isuka gets hurt by one of those Halkeginians I swear I'll tear down every monument to their vanity I find in a rage as I hunt the one who hurt him!"

"An understandable statement, but I doubt it will come to that." Tandria said calmly before placing a hand on Saito's shoulder. "Come, there is a meeting with the Iskval this evening and I'd hoped to explain to the two of you what's happening.

Saito nodded as Tiffania stepped up beside the two men. "I take it they have settled down without a problem then? They have been having a bit of trouble these last few years."

Tandria nodded. "I'm told they do fine.

"Finally!" Saito exclaimed as he and Tiffania followed Tandria into the city. "Something good happens!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

-Translated from native Scrin-

"So then, Supervisor Al'vec, what do you make of Planet 3 of Sector 21?

"I believe that the native inhabitant's abilities and the unexpected meeting of higher ranked technology is what caused the downfall of our forces there previously, Overlord."

"Not a bad assumption, but I do not agree."

"May I ask what the Overlord thinks caused the previous foreman's failure?"

"The one named Kane had a presence there, one who had learned under him."

"You believe that is why?"

"Yes, and as such this is why you and I will watch over this invasion personally. We cannot make any mistakes."

"Of course, Overlord, I shall return to preparing the troops."

"As you were. I shall inform you when the invasion is to begin, and it will begin soon enough!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oda Nobunaga looked out upon the city of Kyoto from the balcony of its castle and let a smile slip from his face. His great armies now only needed to conquer the last bastions of resistance and then all of Japan would be under his control. Peace, prosperity and growth would all flourish under his one unified rule, and once Japan was unified, he would cross the mountains and begin unifying the rest of the continent. If his sister, Nona, was successful in creating an alliance with the elves of the west it would make things even easier for him as well. Even if the elves did not agree to an alliance they would not hold out against his forces. Everything was falling into place just as he knew it would.

Looking down to the edge of the city he could see that the excavation his people where working on was going well. The strange metal structure was unlike anything he had seen before. With luck it would be a great weapon granted to him by Amaterasu and Yatagarasu to unify the world under his name.

So lost in thought was Oda Nobunaga though that he did not hear steely whispers all around him, plotting his downfall, and the downfall of living beings in the world, starting with his people.

End of prologue.