GATE: Thus, the scientific horror's fought there

Friends & Enemies

Colt felt unnerved while under the gaze of this woman, her perpetual stoic expression and half-closed eyes were permanent in their stay. Even as she took the teacup, pressed it to her lips and sipped from it, she never stopped staring at him.

"So, lord Colt, I'm sure you understand what we are asking of you?" Giselle said, placing her cup back onto the table, not moving her gaze away from the old man across from her.

Colt on his part didn't break his either, not wanting to look weak in front of these people. He had to remain strong, mainly out of fear for what this woman and her soldiers may do to his beloved city and its people.

He breathed in... and exhaled, "Yes, I do. If the benefits of allying with your Empire, rather than Sadera are as good as you say, then I'll make it official. Your troops are also allowed access to the city, I'll... make some preparations for them."

Giselle may not be showing it, but she was glad Colt agreed to be a turncoat. Not only do they have their fortress in the Bunny Warrior lands, but now they have an allied city, where they can mass troops for further expeditions into this hostile world.

"I believe it is common for ally's to shakes hands, yes?" Giselle said, leaning forward with her hand extended towards Colt, waiting...

Colt nodded, "Yes, it is." He took this lady's hand and shook with as much strength as he could muster. Trying to make it seem like they were equal, but everyone knew that this lady was way more than... possibly even Emperor Molt himself.

Just then, someone came into the room, ripping Colt from his thoughts. Looking over, it was one of the invaders, looking panicked.

"Report, soldier." Giselle said, standing up. "Hostile force approached the city!"

Colt couldn't help but feel fear, as Sadera never tolerates traitors.

***

A convoy of transports rumble their way towards Nuremburg, their holds full of... supplies, yes.

Under the waving, grey tarps are not only the needs of soldiers, but also war. Under the thunder of the sky, lighting it up with short bursts of light, the outline of bomber planes, concealed under tarps are briefly shown. And those were just the first wave of shipments heading for the GATE.

Kaiser Wolfgang was going to make it known to these barbarians, those baby killers and violators of woman and slaughters of the innocent, that they were not invincible. The fires and madness of his world was going to trample their pathetic example of society to the stone age.

The driver slows his vehicles down as he approached the city, a guard walks forward, his eyes shadowed by the night and rain. He raises a thumb, raising the barrier, and motioning for them to continue onwards.

The convoy rumbles forward, the clock of Sadera continues towards midnight.

***

Speaking of Wolfgang, the man was just as grumpy as he was before. Considering the fact his youngest son was kidnapped by the enemy didn't make his mood improve in any way.

Even worse, was the fact he was pretending to consider the words of the Angevin piss bab- Ambassador, that was currently crying up a storm, only compounded by him speaking German with that gut-wrenching French accent of his.

Whining and whining about how he, the Kaiser of the nation who destroyed the Angevin Empire, should return the lands of France back to their rightful owner, the most spoiled, egotistical, power-hungry, cowardly, whiney little shit in the whole of the world... Henri IV de Plantagenet.

God, Wolfgang hated that little prick with all his being. Regardless of what the Bible and Lord says about your enemies. He was glad that puny little man-baby was rotting away in some distant colony of his. Actually... where was Henri? Louisiana? India? Indochina? Eh, whatever. At least Wolfgang doesn't have to hear his whining, the distance mutes the cries.

Anyways, what was he doing... Right! Henri's complaint officer. The one standing across from him, still talking... shit.

"Don't you understand, Kaiser Wolfgang? The lands YOU occupy are our home! With so much history attached to it, it would be a travesty to hold them hostage!" "Hostage? It's very funny that you say that Mr... actually, I don't care who you are."

Time for the counterattack, "You talk about illegally holding land as if it's like the bank kidnapping your children and holding them for ransom. But may I remind, not only YOU, but Henri that HE invaded Holy Rome, claimed its French speaking territories for Angevia, and nobody bats an eye..."

He continues, wanting to mount the pressure, "He was the one who illegally invaded our home years ago, started a war over it, but when I do it... it's a problem? Why? Is it because I'm German? Is it because I'm not the Sun Emperor himself?" Wolfgang sat there, staring at this man with an unflinching gaze, seeing the fear and embarrassment take over his mind.

"What about the Ita'ali? Their home has been occupied by Muslims for over a thousand years! Same with the Catalonians. But I don't see them complaining about it, do I? But yet... the mere second a German boot steps on Angevin land, all I hear is Henri crying."

The ambassador was stunned, he stood there, shaking and sweating, racking his brain for an argument that he could use to make Wolfgang see the metaphorical light. But nothing came, all that man did was stand there.

Soon, he bowed and left Wolfgang's officer. Closing the door slowly, not willing to give Wolfgang a final goodbye look. Wolfgang on his part, waiting for when the ambassador was far enough away, began to laugh.

And, oh Lord! Did he laugh.

***

Duran see's the scout returning from his mission, the young man, clad in the armor of Elbe's Army kneels before his lord. "Lord Duran, my mission has gone well. I have spotted numerous defensive positions constructed by the barbarians."

Duran smiles, "Continue, young soldier." "They seem to have three long, trench lines, with what look like potato sacks lined along them. They seem to have ballista's covering them, as they are positioned on elevated positions, giving them an overview of the field."

Duran rubs his chin, thinking about this information. "Seems like another hard battle is ahead of us, my lords." He says to the other Kings, but with only half of them nodding in agreement.

"Pah! Such measly defenses are no match for an army of this size! A hundred-thousand soldiers is something no small force of barbarians can defeat!" Said the King of Alguna, the youngest amongst the Allied Armies Commanders.

"Temper yourself, young lord. Every battle, easy for hard, is something numbers alone can win." Duke Ligu of the League Principality nodded, smiling at his friend's wise words.

"Such as how your family came to win a devastating blow against Sadera, long before it bended the knee!" Ligu boasted, grinning at how the past gives the present good stories and lessons.

"Indeed, Duke Ligu. Indeed..." Duran looked back at the map, his eyes going over it, again and again. "Gentlemen, if what our scouts say is true. Then I have a plan to win this battle, in a way that we have never seen before."