[center]A smile made its way across Pepper’s mousy face as Aleko addressed those below, the choice of words and the confidence in his tone washing away any possible worry she may have of the situation. It was in moments such as these that she was particularly sure that the Imperial Wizard had found the one true emperor of the realm. Sadly, the Human General and his captain were not sharing in the feeling. After Aleko stated that they should first and foremost surrender their arms, the woman frowned and rose her voice “[b]Did you not hear me the first time? We will NOT negoc..-[/b]“ yet a hard grip of her shoulder pulled her back and this time it was the old general’s voice that boomed loudly across “[b]That’s enough out of you, captain![/b]” All the Human soldiers suddenly turned their attentions at general Asimov and even a few of the Elite Rangers were startled by this sudden outburst “[b]Don’t forget your place![/b]” he continued and then threw a fleeting glance around him to his other subordinates “[b]And that goes for all of you! We are proud soldiers of the Old Avalon Empire, not bickering old crones with too much time on their hands![/b]” He parted the way of the men and women protecting him “[b]We are one single unit. We stand as one. We fight as one…[/b]” He then gazed upward, his one good eye staring at Aleko yet it was not malice or rage that could be seen behind his stare. General Asimov then promptly planted his spear in the ground, undid the bindings of his tower-shield from his off-hand and threw it on the ground next to his weapon before he turned around and finished his sentence “[b]..And we fall as one.[/b]” 

Silence had encompassed the surroundings and the soldiers around. For a few preciously long moments only the chilling breeze, the rustling of the discolored grass and the faint clattering of plates were the only sounds. Then, one by one, the Human soldiers dropped their weapons. Spears, shields, muskets, swords, daggers and even tomes fell at the feet of their owners in a cacophony of noises. The captain’s gaze followed suit, no doubt feeling shame wash over her for her audacity. The General approached her and placed both his hands on her shoulders, giving her a slight shake so her gaze could meet his. He whispered something to her, yet the wind made sure to keep those words between them and no one else, the orange-haired woman only responding with a nod before she and the rest of the soldiers lined up, waiting to be escorted inside the fortress. After that scene, Pepper could only chuckle “Well, that shut her up” she muttered aside before following Aleko as he gestured to her. She listened closely to his words, a toothy grin appearing on her face as she responded in confirmation “[b]Crystal.[/b]” Sure this method may or may not be a tad underhanded but it was by far the most efficient, it would avoid any conflict, it would avoid any unnecessary loss of life and it would secure both a valuable prisoner as well as a body of troops for labor. Before they opened the gates and allowed the prisoners inside, general Bulkwyn pulled Aleko to the side “If I may sir, you are acting like a true emperor. If the other generals and envoys could see you now, any doubt that may had would be completely washed away” she gestured a small Anthro bow and then placed her helmet on, bringing her rifle across and ordered her men to open the main gate.

The ranks of Human soldiers slowly flowed through and into the courtyard, where all Elite Rangers had cocked their rifles and aimed right at them, a warning should anyone think of doing anything they would regret. The Drow Vanguards and the Anthro Highlanders were busy binding the hands of the newly aquiered mass of prisoners, some were more cooperative than the others yet none presented a problem. The three Juggernauts had to be bound in some thick chains as the ordinary iron cuffs were far to small for their gargantuan hands. The Highlanders and Vanguards clearly appearing nervous around them, as it would be expected when finding oneself face-to-face with a steel-clad Human who towers even above an Orc. All the prisoners were slowly ushered inside, escorted to the cells beneath the fortress once they have been bound and stripped of their equipment. All save for the General, who was waiting outside the fortress with his hands behind his back. It was difficult to tell if the frown upon his grizzled visage was something that is normally present most of the time or only a response to this particular situation. Aleko himself was escorted by three Elite Rangers outside to meet with the old man. A couple of Drow Vanguards also followed, yet they only came to collect the discarded weapons and return with them inside the fortress.  Once Aleko and his guards approached him, two of the Elite Rangers attempted to grab the general by his arms only to have him push them aside, this startling the third one who promptly rose his rifle and aimed it at the Human. “[b]I can walk by myself, thank you very fricking much.[/b]” He said in a sharp tone as he pushed the two soldiers aside, a few moments of silence passing as he looked at the one aiming the rifle then turned his gaze at each of them before finally resting it at Aleko “[b]I’m not sure if ‘private conversation’ has the same meaning to an Anthro as it does to a Human, but it usually implies only two people.[/b]” He stroked his trimmed beard before shrugging and continuing with “[b]What? Afraid of an unarmed old man?[/b]” He then pointed at the heir’s ringed sword sheathed at his hip “[b]That looks like a fine weapon. I am certain it would grace my neck most exquisitely should I try something stupid. Now come on. I trust you certainly know that my time on this world is more limited than yours, let’s not waste it.[/b]” 

The three Anthro Elite Ranges looked back at Aleko in confusion as to how they should approach the situation, in the end they escorted the heir and the general as they walked towards the Dwarven forces without actually binding the old man as he showed no sign of hostility whatsoever. As they walked, general Asimov sighed deeply “[b]I apologize for my captain’s gall. The girl is young and the fire of youth is particularly crackling in her heart. I assume you would know all about it.[/b]” A slight smile appeared briefly beneath his mustache as he said the last part. “[b]Speaking of which.. How old are you? Twenty-Eight? Thirty? You can’t be older than thirty-two, that’s for sure.[/b]” A faint scoff escaped him as the only response he received from Aleko was silence. “[b]Well, there have certainly been younger Emperors who ascended the throne. Wonder if you will fare better than them.[/b]”  They were getting closer and closer to the bulk of the Dwarven army yet Aleko did not say a word this whole time. One would assume that perhaps he was waiting for the right moment or thinking on what to say, regardless the general noticed this along with the fact that the heir was slowly falling behind as they walked. “[b]You said you wanted to talk in private, yet until now it has been me talking and you listening. What are you..-[/b]“ General Asimov did not have the chance to finish his sentence as Aleko suddenly rushed at him, attempting to deliver a strong blow with the stock of his rifle. The strike was aimed at the back of the man’s head, delivered with sufficient force to properly knock him out cold.

That is, if the blow had connected.

In an unexpected turn of events, Aleko found himself being grabbed by the wrist by the General mere moments before the strike would have landed. Before anyone could realize what was going on, the old man quickly side-stepped behind the heir, twisting his arm behind his back, forcing the rifle to fall to the ground and wrapping his armored hand around Aleko’s neck, effectively immobilizing him. The three Elite Rangers promptly took aim and started shouting threats at the general to release their emperor, yet they couldn’t do anything for risk of brining harm to him. Aleko himself struggling to escape the man’s grip yet found himself utterly overpowered by his strength, whenever the general felt like the heir was making the slightest movement in attempts to reach for a weapon with his free hand or try to shift his position or anything else, he would apply pressure to the twisted arm and momentarily tighten his grip around Aleko’s neck, preventing him from any possible escapes. “[b]You think I was promoted yesterday, boy?[/b]” General Asimov’s voice sounded clear among the threats of the Elite Rangers “[b]I have been fighting on the fields before your mother took the last Emperor to her bed, I have been dancing this dance of war for so long I can remember the steps in my God’s damned sleep![/b]” The general was keeping a strong and tight grip on Aleko, the Halfling simply finding himself unable to escape. He could barely move as the pain in his arm and shoulder spiked ever so often when the general applied force and his breath being momentarily cut off whenever the old man would tighten his grip around his neck. “[b]Ah calm down and quit your struggling. You’ll walk out of here just fine and get your prisoner. I could snap your neck right here and now but there’d be no damn point in it.[/b]” The Human said to Aleko before pushing him away in a rough manner, one of the Elite Rangers quickly rushing to his side as the Human general turned his attention to the other two who still pointed their weapons at him “[b]Do you want to shoot me now? What are you waiting for then? I am sure your precious emperor here would commend you for securing a corpse in place of a valuable prisoner.[/b]” He then turned his gaze to Aleko “[b]Enjoy your victory[/b]” his tone of voice had lowered drastically from the bellow beforehand “[b]But remember this and remember it well : Your time has passed. The time of the tyrannical Emperors is over, in the end you will loose this war.[/b]” A few moments of silence passed as everyone’s attention was drawn towards the horizon where they saw a small squadron of Dwarven soldiers harrying to them. The Human general turned on his heel to face them let out a deep, drawn out sigh. “[b]I assume this concludes negotiations.[/b]” He muttered towards Aleko, concluding with “[b]It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance[/b]” in a sarcastic tone before the squad of Dwarven Infantrymen cuffed and apprehended him.

One of the Dwarves was riding a rather large armored bear, with fur as black as coal. The Dwarf mounted atop this beast was dressed in a highly decorated version of the Dwarven Bear-Knight’s light-plated mail hauberks and armed with a sophisticated looking firearm. The rider dismounted, hopping down from the bear and removing his helm, revealing the familiar visage of Genral Bojor Ironfist. “[b]What’n tha ‘ void was’ that?![/b]” he shouted at Aleko, fuming with anger. He clearly wanted to say more but visibly abstained himself “[b]Bah! No matte’. Tha’ day’s won. Now let’s get ye’ furry hide back to tha’ fortress, ye still got ‘a job to do.[/b]” He said and then turned around and let out a rather loud whistle that echoed through the valley, signaling with his arm for the Dwarven army to follow as they returned to Castle Northspark, all save for the squadron of Infantrymen who escorted the captive general back to their fortress at Paletower. Once arrived back at the fortress, general Bulkwyn welcomed them “[b]General Ironfist. Good to see you.[/b]” Yet the Dwarven general did not share in her friendly demeanor “[b]Can ‘it lass. We’ve got plen’ty o’ time fo’ pleasantries later.[/b]” After that brief exchange, she turned to Aleko “[b]Sir, are you alright? Do you need any medical attention?[/b]” her tone sounded genuinely concerned it perhaps she already knew that Aleko was just fine save for a few sores on his arm and shoulder “[b]Don’ mother him. He can walk’ it off. We’ain’ done ‘ere yet.[/b]” General Ironfist interrupted, to the frustration of Bulkwyn, Aleko simply asking for clarification regarding what he meant. The Dwarf rose his gaze at the Halfling and responded “[b]Well ye’ did a bloody fine job o’ tha’ fortress.[/b]” He started, yet his tone did not imply actual commendation. “[b]But we’ still gott’a convince tha’ mayor o’ tha’ town to pledge tha’ whole province’s allegiance to ou’r side, now don’ we?[/b]” Pepper nodded “[b]He is right, sir. The town of Northspark is some hours march away from here. If you’re able, we should leave immediately.[/b]”

General Ironfist proceede to produce one of his cigars from a small pack attached to his belt “[b]Take ye’r men an’ getta move’ on already. Me an’ my boys will organize a garrison ‘ere. Convince tha’ mayor that’s in his best interest to turn tha’ province to us. Remind ‘im that we control the’r only fortress now and we’v got tha’ potential to raid tha’ whole damn town if need be.[/b]” 

After a bit of time of preparations, Aleko, General Bulkwyn and the rest of their troops were ready and departed from their newly aquiered fortress, heading Westwards towards the town of Northspark, while General Ironfist and his large army made preparations at the fortress, organizing a proper garrison to hold it and preparing the rest to march upon the town, if necessary. The march towards the town would take some time, it would be past mid-day by the time they arrived. General Bulkwyn kept silent on the road, since she judged that Aleko was probably not in the mood for her company at the moment, deciding to leave him to his thoughts. 

They reached the town after some time, spotting it in the distance. The town of Northspark was as unremarkable as its fortress. A simple semi-circular town with stone buildings of a simple and plain architecture, very low on decoration. It’s walls were tall and eerily similar to those from the fortress, yet simply judging from the first outside glance one could reach the conclusion that it’s defenses were nowhere near as strong, the force that General Ironfist brought with him would encounter no particular difficulty in laying a siege yet it would still be time consuming, require resources and casualties would be completely unavoidable. The main gate of the town was closed, as it was to be expected from a town at the border with a province controlled by an opposing faction. Two rather small guard-towers were on either side, each having the blue flag of the Old Empire hung from its ramparts. Once Aleko, the general and the rest of their troops arpoached the gates, they were hailed by a couple of Human Musketeers atop the towers “[b]No further, strangers. State your business here.[/b]” One of them  called out to which Aleko replied, informing them of their present situation and demanding an audience with the mayor. Silence followed in which one could see the two Musketeers awash with disbelief, glancing at eachother and then back at Aleko. One of them promply departed, probably to inform the mayor of what just transpired. Eventually, Aleko heard the call for the gates to be opened, welcoming him, the general and their troops inside where a number of Musketeers could be seen all across the wall staring at them, along with some of the townspeople who were brave and curious enough to see what was going on. Their present defenses that Aleko could observe were not at all impressive. A few squads of Musketeers and a handful of War-Mages, yet he was certain that the whole town’s present forces were not just this. 

The mayor was waiting for them in the center of the town. A stick of a man, clad in some lavish, thick, warm looking dark purple vestments with various decorations. A small beret was tilted to the side of his head from where curl of dark brown hair flew out. His facial features were sharp and gaunt, a wiry thin goatee jutting out from his chin akin to an arrows point, complementing an equally thin waxed mustache. The mayor greeted them “[b]Welcome to the town of Northspark…umm…sirs.[/b]” His tone was filled with worry and his posture was slightly hunched only adding to this demeanor along with his paired hands, rubbing together in an attempt to keep warm. The man’s beady eyes widen and his face became pale as Aleko introduced himself “[b]T..t..the heir? The heir of the Sendrakon bloodline?[/b]” he stuttered “[b]That means…That means you are from the New Empire…but…why are you here? What is happening?[/b]” 
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