Chapter 29: Mobilization

Disclaimer: I do not in any way or form own Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There or RWBY. They belong to their respective owners, Takumi Yanai and RoosterTeeth Animations respectively.

Team RWBY, Tai, Rory, and Lelei crowded around to read the message on Tai's scroll.

"This is bad," Tai said. "Winter knows how many forces we have, which is dozens of Huntsmen, including the Ace Ops, countless soldiers, and Atlesian droids. Plus Rory. If she thinks even this is not enough, then this Grimm issue is going to be very, very big."

"Then let's go help!" Ruby suggested.

"But our current objective is is to reopen the Gate," Weiss pointed out, "Shouldn't we focus on that?"

Tai considered it, "No. We've got nothing left to try. Hardy was the last possibility. The message said all available forces, so we'll go and meet Winter there. Come on, girls, let's go."

The group left the temple and suddenly realized something. "How are we going to get there? We have no transport," Blake pointed out. Their Bullhead had been destroyed by the flame dragon, the dragon itself had left, and so had Giselle, who was the only one who could command it.

Lelei stepped forward. "There are merchants around here. We can hire a cart to carry us."

Tai considered that. They did have some money on them, so hiring should not be a problem. The question was, would it be fast enough to get them there in time? Still, it was not like they had any other choice, so it was decided. "Let's go find a merchant."

Lelei nodded and went off, with Tai, RWBY, and a sullen Rory following her. The Apostle was deep in thought, frowning as she contemplated her future.

Lord Duran, the aged king of the Elbe kingdom, looked at the scroll in his hands.

Harriet waited patiently for him to read the message. She then waited impatiently for him to finish reading the message. The slow tapping of her foot was the only thing that snuck past her training and discipline, creating soft taps that could nevertheless be heard around the king's bedchamber.

Lord Duran himself was laying in his bed, his hair completely white. His left arm and leg had been heavily injured during the first battle of Alnus, and were now partially mechanized, courtesy of the Atlesian forces. Even now he marveled at the prosthetic, equally as good as new, if not stronger and better than before.

"I'm sorry for making you wait. My eyes are not as good as they've been," Duran suddenly spoke, snapping Harriet back into the present.

"It's no problem, Sir," Harriet replied automatically, reaching for her scroll back.

Duran relinquished the device, chuckling slightly. "I keep telling you, Duran is fine. Or your majesty, if you have to. Not this... Sir you keep saying. But never mind that. Is the message true? These Grimm?"

"Yes, S- your majesty," Harriet confirmed. "The Grimm have plagued Remnant since the dawn of humanity. If they can claim a foothold on Falmart, they will eventually overrun the continent."

Duran nodded, considering it. "This message says that your armies are going to attack the Grimm before they can set up their forces. Your armies -" the warrior king vividly remembered the magic that struck down his men from a distance, the ice that had come out of nowhere in a clear day, and the terrifying explosives that took his limbs, " - who are so powerful, need our help? Tell me, what do you think we can do?"

"These are my commanding officer's orders. I don't need to know what she is thinking. I will follow them," Harriet said.

"You're a soldier, alright. But with such little information, can you truly make such a judgment? Or would you just follow the orders blindly, even if it may lead to your doom?"

"I don't think you're in the position to lecture me about my job. It is my duty to follow orders," Harriet replied, lips tight.

Duran didn't seem to take offense, chuckling, "Of course, of course. But back to the issue at hand. You want me to send you troops. Do you know that the Empire has also sent me a message? They are preparing for war too, and as a vassal state, the Elbe kingdom is obliged to send troops to aid them. So tell me, who should I support?"

"I couldn't say, Sir. But if you're asking for my suggestion, perhaps you should see which has been better for your kingdom."

Duran laughed. "Well said, child. Your people have been a great ally to me, while the Empire has done nothing but demand tribute and obedience. Very well. I will send you what forces I can, but you must understand. My armies are not as strong as they once were, and I must keep some of my soldiers to defend my kingdom. Many other lords and bandits have heard of my weakened state and want my lands. That, combined with the small population of my kingdom, and the losses from recent wars... unfortunately, I can spare perhaps 5,000 men."

"Of course, Sir. I shall inform Winter of your decision." With that, Harriet was gone.

Countess Myui, the young head of the Formal Clan and leader of Italica city, looked at the scroll in her hands.

Vine waited, keeping an eye not on her but those behind her - Myui's sisters, both shooting each other dark looks. He knew that they had been vying to be the countess' legal guardian, and hence take control of Italica.

Myui returned the scroll to Vine. She made to speak, but seemed to change her mind.

She was 11. Vine would not wish for such responsibility to be placed on one so young, but it was not his place to question the traditions of this world. All he could do was make it easier for her. "Fear not, Countess," he said, "You are the head of the clan." Not those two quarreling behind you.

Myui took a breath. "Um... Didn't we agree to have Italica be neutral ground? Wouldn't this be us directly supporting you over the Empire?"

"That is true. However, this is a dire situation indeed. If the Grimm is left alone to grow, I fear that nothing may be able to stop their corruption."

"Can they really do that? That's so scary... they can even beat you?" Myui asked.

"As you know, the Gate has fallen. We cannot call for reinforcements to suppress this threat. So while our numbers are limited, the Grimm are limitless. This is why we are requesting all available military forces to aid us," Vine explained. "We can save this world, if you help us."

"Then we'll help!" the countess decided. This provoked a negative response from her sisters, each complaining against it, but they did not have the authority to overrule Myui's decision.

Vine almost felt bad for taking advantage of the countess's childish nature. Then again, the fate of the world was at stake. "Thank you. So, in terms of numbers..."

"Not much, I'm afraid. Most of the soldiers are either dead or with the Empire. We barely have enough to defend ourselves; remember the bandits from last time?" one of Myui's sisters grumbled, visibly against her plans.

"If I may, Countess," Vine suggested, "Italica is a trading hub. Can I rely on you to supply our forces for the upcoming battle?"

"Of course!"

Mimoza La Mer, Grand Master Mage, looked at the scroll in her hands.

Clover waited for the elderly mage and her apprentice, Arpeggio - Lelei's sister, apparently - to finish reading.

"Oh, I'd love to help, but I'm afraid you're asking for the impossible," Mimoza said.

"Oh? Why so?"

"We mages have never promised allegiance to anyone, especially us grandmasters. Too much of an ego, I say, haha," Mimoza laughed.

"I must try," Clover insisted.

"Well then, be my guest," Mimoza agreed amicably, "The masters should be at the meeting hall now, to listen to the sages presenting. You could talk to them there."

With a nod, Clover left, and the elderly sage turned to her apprentice. "You like him!" she exclaimed.

Arpeggio turned away quickly, hiding the blush. "No such thing," she insisted.

"Then why so focused, hmm?"

"I - I was just interested in the minerals that he had!"

"No need to hide, Arpeggio," Mimoza said, "Why, if I were back in my youth, I'd be all over him too."

"That's not - argh, master. Stop. I'm going to study this 'dust' that he brought. It has very interesting properties," Arpeggio changed the subject, took a red dust crystal, and promptly went on to ignore Mimoza. Her teasing over, the master went on to look through her books.

The two of them remained this way until Clover returned, almost three hours later. Dripping multicolored ink.

The two mages seemed entirely unsurprised by his state, with Arpeggio grabbing a towel and throwing it to him. They easily accepted his description of events, nodding along.

"You don't seem very surprised," Clover commented, doing his best to clear the ink off of his uniform. At least he had a spare in the Bullhead, parked outside the city.

"That's how we masters vote on the presentation of the would-be sages," Mimoza explained, "Consider yourself lucky that they didn't begin slinging magic at you."

Clover sighed, "This is unfortunate. Is there no way to convince them?"

"Ha, you're better off trying to squeeze blood from a rock than getting those old men to fight for you. But, if things really are as dire as you say, well, I might be able to get some sages to help," Mimoza offered.

"Really? You're coming too?"

The old Mage shook her head, "Oh, no no no. I'm too old for this. But I still do have some influence, and there are always some young sages looking to make a name of themselves. I'm sure they'll be easy enough to convince."

"Really? Thank you," Clover replied, then wondered, "But how can I find them? We don't have long."

"Ha! Go into any tavern in the city and see who's boasting the loudest. I can guarantee that those are the ones who'll accept the offer, even if their skills might be... questionable."

"I'll go with you," Arpeggio spoke up. Ignoring her master's knowing look, she added, "I've seen this mineral before. There's a pretty good vein nearby, at Seltor city. They've mined out a bunch of it, but could never find a good use for it. We can stop by and purchase it from them."

"Wait. Dust exists naturally here? Exactly the same?"

Arpeggio shrugged, "Without direct comparison, I cannot say. But your Dust is very familiar to me. I am a mineral mage, after all."

"Then come. We have no time to waste," Clover decided, then turned to the grandmaster, "Mimoza, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to handle the recruitment."

"Alright, alright, I'll send some people your way. Now go, you have a world to save, hmm?" she agreed, shooing Clover out of her house.

The two of them returned to Clover's Bullhead and quickly made their way to Seltor. There, a few quick conversations with the merchants showed that Arpeggio was indeed right. They had a decent amount of what seemed to be Dust, sitting unused in their warehouses. Because it had little to no purpose for them, Clover was able to load up the Bullhead with the precious mineral. Then, they were off to meet with Winter.

But how did Dust form on Falmart? Clover had many questions about this revelation, but they would have to wait. There were Grimm to kill.

Sedge Plain grimaced as he read Winter's message. "This is why negotiations were so important," he emphasized, "The Grimm are now here, and not only is the Empire not supporting us, but they're probably going to take advantage of the situation to try to make things even worse! This is why you leave the negotiations to me!"

Arta nodded grimly, "It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but I guess it was too easy for them to take advantage of it."

"So, what's the plan now?"

"We kill them," Vela growled. "The Grimm, and anyone else who dares stand against us." Obviously, she had not calmed down. "If I even see the Rose Knights, I'm going to make every single one of them-"

"Actually, I don't think it was them." At Vela's glare, Arta explained, "Yes, I know we found that the arrow had a rose on it. But I believe that the Princess is honorable - and smart - enough not to try something like that. This is the work of someone else."

"The Emperor was shot too," Sedge said.

Arta nodded, "Further proof that Pina was not to blame. Someone wants to start a war."

"Fine. We will inform Winter about this. Let her know that all negotiations have failed, and that the Imperial Army may soon be matching down on us."

Wolf, a Volralden mercenary currently working as a guard in Alnus town, looked over at the message. Receive fair compensation, the message had stated. Based on the thriving town, as well as the interesting - and very expensive - otherworldly items now available, it was certain that the Atlesians had the resources to make good on their promises.

Besides, he was a warrior by nature. While appreciated, the recent peace was getting to him. He was, after all, a mercenary. He was most alive when the blood was pumping and the adrenaline flowing.

Across the continent, thousands of mercenaries like him took up arms. Be it for the rewards, the fame, or just the thrill of battle, they now joined the other forces on the march against the Grimm.

Pina Co Lada, Princess of the Saderan Empire, looked at the letter in her hands.

The Grimm... Unlike most of the other people from Falmart, she had seen them first-hand. Creatures of pure destruction. There was no better way to describe them. She closed her eyes and could see the destruction that they had caused. An entire fortress, fallen and broken. Warriors far stronger than she, overwhelmed and slain. The order of humanity brought to ruin and chaos.

The images of metal buildings were replaced by those of stone and wood. But the fire and death remained. If those demons launched an attack on the Empire, they would surely fall.

"Princess, are you alright?" her loyal friend, Bozes asked.

Pina slowly rolled the letter back up.

"I have received... information... that the Grimm have been spotted on Falmart," she began slowly, "We must muster our forces to combat them at once."

Thankfully, Grey and the other Knights trusted her. If they had questioned her orders, Pina was not sure that she could keep herself composed long enough to answer them.

"Of course, Princess. The Rose Knights will be ready. But what of the Emperor? Should we inform him?"

Pins grimaced, "My brother is a fool. If he found out about this, he would definitely choose to launch an attack, which is just going to make things worse."

"But he does have command of the imperial army," Grey noted.

The implications of this were clear - convince Zorzal to ally against the Grimm, and their chances would greatly increase, with the might of the Imperial Army behind them.

But given how her brother had been acting recently, Pina felt that she could not take the risk of informing him. Zorzal was fixated on revenge. If he were smart, he would rally the army to attack Alnus while it was undefended. "No," Pina said, "Do not tell him."

Bickering started to break out between the assembled knights. Some felt that it would be better with the Imperial Army's support, while others agreed that Zorzal was dangerous. Some even wondered if withholding this information from the Emperor could be considered treason, while others felt that rushing to the aid of the Atlesians was suicide.

"Enough!" Pina called out, silencing her subordinates. They did not see the dangers that the Grimm brought. "The Grimm are a threat unlike any other. They must be destroyed with no compromise," Pina declared, hidden power in her words, 'We will march to the Atlesians' aid. Prepare yourselves for battle, and for absolute victory!"

The old soldier Grey smiled as the Rose Knights cheered their leader. She had grown much since the first days that she had begged him to teach her and her friends the way of the sword, all those years ago. Now, she was a true leader, standing proud and fast, almost glowing.

Compared to the endless legions of the imperial army, the Rose Knights were few, numbering less than 5,000. Nevertheless, each was better trained and more loyal than an imperial soldier, allowing the Order to best larger forces. Pina hoped that it would be enough.

Zorzal El Caesar, the newly crowned Emperor of the Empire, looked at the letter in his hands.

His grin slowly grew as he read, until he was laughing out loud. "All of my enemies in one place! This is the perfect opportunity to use the might of the Imperial army and crush them, once and for all. We are the true rulers of the world, and these fools will get what's coming! Prepare the troops!"

"At once, your majesty!"

"My lord, what about the Grimm that the message spoke of?" Herm asked.

"What about them?"

"It sounds like they are a very dangerous force. Perhaps they are some of Hardy's demons," the general explained, "Should we not take steps to counter them? As of now, we still know very little about these creatures."

"Probably just a few monsters," Zorzal decided. "I'm sure that their strength has been greatly exaggerated in order to convince their allies to come together."

"But in that case, why would our enemies need to do such a thing?"

Zorzal gave it a few seconds though, but had no answer, so he waved the question away. "It matters not. Let our enemies fight the Grimm first. No matter how strong or weak they are, they will weaken our foes, and then we will strike, and claim absolute victory!"

Marquis then spoke up, "My lord, perhaps there is another way. If all of their forces are marching out to face the Grimm, then their base at Alnus will be undefended. Perhaps we should strike there instead?

Zorzal considered it and decided that he liked the idea, "Yes, a good idea. We must send them a message. We will strike at both their home and their army at the same time, and crush them for good! Get some of the troops to raze Alnus city to the ground."

Zorzal looked out of the mansion, where the Imperial Army was gathering in full force. Thousands of infantry soldiers, each armed with deadly swords or spears and large, rectangular shields, were gathering. The siege engines were also being mobilized, to provide fire support, and wyvern riders for Air superiority. In total, their numbers reached almost 200,000 human soldiers, in addition to the thousands of demihuman forces, such as the goblins and recently introduced armored ogres. The vassal states had been ordered to send forth auxiliaries as well, but the 50,000 or so troops promised would take time to arrive. The Empire's total fighting strength was impressive, and Zorzal intended to ensure that they would remain the dominant force in the world. Not the Grimm. Not the Atlesians. Not even gods. He would have victory.

Whatever the cost.

A/N: Before anyone asks, Winter is asking for help from the natives because the Atlesians' resources have been severely depleted from usage without any way to increase their supply. She knows that they are weak individually, but there are a lot of soldiers out there, and sheer numbers can make a difference.

Anyway, the last few chapters have been quite peaceful. I'm getting tired of peaceful. After all, all the major players are coming together at last. There's only one way this can go.