The nest morning all was quiet in the city of Parpanuan. For most people that was. Raphael and his fellow inquisitors were hard at work making sure the city catapults were up to date and ready for action.

The walls were massive with twelve large stone towers and eighteen smaller towers connecting each wall segment on the bae wall alone. There were dozens of other towers sprinkled throughout the mountain shaped city each one armed with one to two siege weapons. So the inquisitors had thier work cut out for them.

Raphael had been going all around the city from tower to tower giving orders and taking info and updates on everyone's progress.

"How is the trebuchet doing Howard?" He called up from the wall below. A larger man with a thick black beard leaned over the tower parapet to see his boss calling u his name.

"It is gonna take some time boss!" He called down. He then looked back up to his crew mates. "I'll be back in a minute boys the boss wants an update." He said boldly. He then made the hike down the tower stares to better talk with the secretary.

"So you said there's gonna be a set back?" Raphael asked as his inquisitor stepped through the tower door leading to the rampart.

"A bit, yes. The frame is dried and cracked from age. It will be a miracle if that throwing arm doesn't slip out of place on its first use." Howard explained.

"My word that's gotta be the fifth one so far." Raphael said taking a note for his clipboard.

"So it's not just that one?" Howard asked peeking at the clipboard.

"No, it seems all these defences are out of shape in one way or another." Raphael explained. "Some are too old, some are too withered, some don't even have any throwing as anymore."

Howards eyes widened for a second. "Well dang nab it. This is gonna be a haste to fix." He said placing his hand on his hip.

"Maybe not..." Raphael said stroking his bald chin deep in thought.

"What do you mean? There is no way we can repair all these catapults in one day."

"Who said anything about repairing them?" Raphael remarked. "I think I have a better idea." He said pulling out a blueprint from his clipboard.

"This here is a new experimental weapon." He said showing Howard the blueprints. "If my calculations are correct, and you know they usually are, this new weapon could completely replace catapults all together."

Howard just stood there eyeing the blueprints in amazement. "Boss, this is genius!" He said excited. "But this, 'black powder' it uses, are you sure it will work?"

"I've already tested it. As long as it stayed dry it will blow our enemies away. Literally." Raphael said taking the blueprints back.

"So here's the new plan. Forget the catapults. We will be putting all our attention into the construction of these new weapons. I want to see every catapult in this city replaced in three days time."

"That sounds reasonable. Given everyone else is in on the idea too." Howard said stroking his beard. "Ok, I'll tell my boys to pack it up and meet you in the inquisitors hall."

"Sounds good, see you there."

Meanwhile up in their chamber Nigel and Fletcher were weeding out who all was still friend and who was now foe.

"So we have confirmed that the hostile coalition extends all along the west coast from Viris to Heala. How many realms is that now?" Nigel asked.

"About thirty two in total." Fletcher said looking at his charted map. But that is also assuming that it is confined to the former Yaman provinces of Tallia and Eupa. Any further east is still unknown."

"What about the Holy order?" Nigel asked. "What's they're stance?

"Ferdinand is already communicating with them. We won't know for certain for a few days still." Fletcher explained.

"And what about the southern kingdoms? Have your spies reported anything about them yet?"

"No, the south has gone silent." Nigel replied.

"That can't be good news." Fletcher said looking down at the map again. "Theen of the south are our main suppliers of materials and valuable trade partners. It's not like them to go silent."

"You don't think they're in on it too do you?" Nigel asked with concern.

"I sure hope not. The riders are already gonna have a workout dealing with the immediate western threat. The last thing we need is for the sashan warriors to come up from the south." Fletcher said.

"I'll say. I hear they're camel riders tore up the last crusader army with little to no legitimate resistance." Nigel explained.

"You don't say?"

"I do. And that was just the armies of the caliphate. The sultan has far more powerful armies at HIS disposal."

"Anything from him?" Fletcher asked.

"No, he's gone silent too."

"Well that's even more strange." Fletcher said looking up at his conrad. "It would be one thing for one southern empire to turn against us but for two of them? And arch rivals as a matter of fact. That's just bizarre."

"Agreed. Perhaps there is something far bigger going on behind closed doors." Nigel said.

"Well what about Axendra? Heard anything from them?" Fletcher asked.

"Same as the others. The pharaoh has gone silent." Nigel explained.

"Ok, something big must be going on in the south. It was odd enough for the sultan and the caliph to be on the same page, but all three powers?"

"Those people would never pass up the chance to look each other." Nigel said.

"Exactly. The men of the south have been at each other's necks sense the fall of the Yaman Empire. Even before then. If those three nations unite against a common threat, us. There will be no stopping them." Fletcher explained.

"Not alone that is." Nigel said. "If the men of the south have indeed turned against us then we will need to call upon every ally we still have to face them."

"In that case we can expect the Holy order to take our side." Fletcher said. "I mean, the divine master would never choose the sashan people over his fellow believers, right?"

"Right." Nigel said. "So we can expect to call on him. When the time comes. What about the men of the north?"

"I don't know. Our diplomats don't go much farther north than Fanlow." Fletcher replied.

"But can we expect the Reich or the Nordiruss to take our side?" Nigel asked.

"The northern lands are a frozen wasteland. The fact that anyone can live up there is impressive. Maybe with some promises of warmer land we can get some northerners on our side. Preferably the Nordiruss. I hear they're warriors are as savage and unforgiving as the land they live in. Even with thier small man power the Nordiruss will be a powerful ally."

"Or a dangerous foe." Nigel added. "If we want to get them on our side we will need to get to them first."

"I doubt there will be much competition there. After all they already have the numbers advantage. Why settle for the low populated north?" Fletcher asked.

Nigel froze as realization hit him like a truck. "You're right, they won't settle for the north. But they might go east." He said with urgency in his voice.

"Think about it, you said they won't go for a low populated area. But the men of the east are packed with people! They have so many men at thier disposal that they tear themselves apart for the heck of it!"

Fletcher realized where he was going with this and quickly understood his urgency. "My word you're right!" He said looking down at the map again. "That would be check mate! It's so obvious. The east is an unstable mess with millions of people. Of course they're gonna want them on they're side!"

"We need to act fast." Nigel said. "I'll send word to my spies right away to be on the lookout for any messages from the west."

"And I'll send word to my diplomats to see if they can muster up any ally warlords for us." Fletcher added.

"Till we see again my friend." Nigel said sticking his hand out.

"Till tomorrow my friend." Fletcher said shaking Nigel's hand before they both departed in opposite directions.

All through the day Reginald had been busy serving as a drill sargent for the rest of the army. But seeing that even without the rider division there were still over ten thousand men in need of a refresher in modern combat.

Most of the men were being drilled by some minor commanders. But Reginald himself would lead the exercising of the infamous iron division.

Reginald walked back and forth Infront of about a hundred heavily armored men as they stood in position like statues. The amount of metal they would wear was incredibly heavy. So the men of the iron division were required to be exceptionally strong.

"Alright ladies!" Reginald barked out. "It's been way too long since we checked up on you men. And now that war had come to us, it is imperative that we stay in shape."

The men stared at the commander through their freshly polished helmets as he continued to lecture them.

"Let's see if you can remember some basic commands." He said with his hands behind his back. "Forward! Hold!"

Quick as a flash the men drove together I to a tight formation. The men in front held their heavy shields out to form a wall while the men in back held their shields above thier heads.

With all four flanks walled up the men facing Reginald thrusted Thier speers through small gaps in the shield wall to form two speer walls. One sticking out about five feet from the shield wall, the other only one foot.

"Right! Hold!

Hearing this command the men quickly retracted thier speers. And the men on the right side of the formation thrusted their speers on Thier side of the formation.

"Rear! Advance!"

Switching the speer wall to the rear flank the men then began walking backwards in perfect unison. As they stepped the speer wall alternated as the first line of speer heads was thrusted further into the imaginary enemy and then quickly retracted. As they fell back the second speer line thrusted their speers forward also in unison. Each speer line would be thrusted back and forth every two seconds of marching.

"Split! Left!"

Retracting the speers again the men split their formation into two separate formations making sure that the new open flanks were walled up right away as the groups gained distance from each other.

The men to Reginald's left remained still with thier speers tucked away while the group on the right began marching to Reginald's right. With thier new rear flank walled up as they extended thier speers and thrusted them back and forth in flawless unison while they marched.

"Right! Forward! March! Left! Hold!"

The right most squad stopped dead in their tracks while the men on the left extended their speers and began marching toward the general.

"Merge!"

Both sides stopped for a moment. The left side marched backwards. Likewise the right side marched forward untill both sides were level with one another. They then moved into each other, removed Thier shield walls, and reunited as one unit.

"Very good men. The memory is still fresh in all of you." Reginald said. The men lowered their shields as the general spoke. "Now make sure to hit the gym and- Archer Volley!"

Like robots the men quickly threw up their shields again to prepare for enemy arrow fire.

"Very good. You even have your reflexes sharp. Now I'm gonna go prepare the next group for training. You men hit the sparring grounds and practice your formations and single combat skills."

"Sir yes sir!" The men said with a salute.

Meanwhile on the opposite side of the city Abraham was having a hard time with his current job.

"No no no we can't do that yet either!" He said throwing a piece of paper into a two foot tall pile of crumpled up paper. "What a stupid idea having new farms so close to the city! What am I thinking!?" He said slapping himself in the forehead.

"Gah! I can't do this anymore!" He said flopping his head on to his desk. "I can't design anything so long as this war goes on. Anything we put up will just get knocked down the next day. It's impossible."

"Look at yourself. Is one little war all it takes for you to believe your job is pointless?" Said a little shoulder angel. "Nothing good ever comes from quitting. You gotta keep at it. Try something else. There has to be something you can construct."

"Didn't you hear him? Anything he puts up outside the city walls can just be knocked over when the enemy comes in to storm this place." Said his shoulder devil. "Look, if the guy needs the war to end to do his job properly, then why not just fight the war himself? After all, if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself."

"Don't listen to him, you can't honestly expect to take down that throng of an army all by yourself do you?" The angel said.

"Your right shoulder angel." Abraham thought. "Reginald already declined my offer. I couldn't get in even if I wanted to. And you guys know I REALLY want to."

"You do t need permission to fight." The devil said. "It couldn't be easier. Simply sneak into the army before they leave for battle. Then by the time the general realizes you snuck in, you will already be on the battle field."

"I hate to admit it. But that's a brilliant idea." The angel said.

"But what about Katherine?" Abraham asked. "She will know where I went. What will she think of me then?"

"Don't worry about it kid, she's a woman. What's she gonna do? March into the battlefield to drag you back home?" The devil asked.

"He makes a good point hammy." The angel said. "Today's society does restrict women from doing much significance. The fact she even got a role in the council is incredible enough."

"I don't know guys. She's gonna hate me for seeking out to join the men." Abraham explained.

"Like I said, don't worry about it." The devil said. "She's your wife. She will forgive you once you explain yourself. You know she will."

"Well either way, it's too late now. The riders have already left for the borderlands. I missed my chance." Abraham said.

"That's not a problem." The devil said. "Something tells me you will get your chance very soon." He said with an evil grin stretching across his face.

Earlier that day the riders in the south were mounting their horses for battle. General Reginald had assigned field marshal Marshal to lead the western expedition. Marshal rode around the camp making sure theen would be ready for battle on time.

"What seems to be the hold up?" Marshal asked a group of men standing outside a makeshift stable. "You men were supposed to be mounted right now. What's taking you so long?"

"My lord, the horses are being stubborn again." One of the soldiers said. "We can't mount them without them bucking us off."

As he said this another soldier tried to mount a horse. And just like he said as soon as he got on the horses back it neighed as it stood on its hind legs at the perfect angle for the soldier to slip right off the animal and fall on to his back.

  Normally this would infuriate the general. But this time he was thinking. "These horses seem a bit spooked." He thought as he rubbed his chin. "But from what?"

His question would be answered soon. As the ground began to vibrate softly but noticably. Marshal looked behind him and his fight or flight response was initiated. For up in the sky was a darkness rapidly approaching he and his men.

"Everyone take cover!" He yelled out. "Archer volley! Take cover!"

He himself had his shield on him and so easily deflected the arrows. But many of his men were left defenseless. As a result many of his men were struck down from the wave of arrows.

The horses neighed as arrows pierced their flesh. Some threw thier riders off Thier saddles while others were struck in more sensitive spots and died not long after the initial strike.

Seeing that the attack was over Marshal lowered his shield and plucked an arrow out of its steel plating. He looked at the arrow tip to see if he could identify the attackers.

He recognized the arrow head. The small jagged edges, the broad frame, it could only mean one thing.

"Sashans!" Marshal called out. "The Sashans are attacking! To arms men! To arms and brace for impact!"

But before the men could get the rest of Thier gear equipped the Sashan warriors began pouring into the campground. From the back of their camels they thundered down the hill and into the valley where Marshal had his men stationed.

This was going to be a hard battle. Outnumbered and in a vulnerable position, the riders of Parpanuan would have to fight for thier lives

Meanwhile up in the chancellors chamber Absalom was pacing back and forth. He had been pondering about what father time had told him. He thought about the possibility of summoning the Mogenite hoard to his side and how the Mogenites would react to the proposition.

He knew it had to be done. But at the same time he feared he might regret it later. After all it was the leadership of Parpanuan generals that drove them back in the first place. It would seem like a sign of weakness to ask them for help.

Nevertheless the elders were never wrong. If an alliance with the dreaded Mogenites was required then so be it. But it would take a while for a message to be sent to thier realm. Maybe a bit too long.

He needed a way to send a message as soon as possible. A means of transportation faster than anything before. His gaze then turned to the wardrobe as his mind offered an answer.

"No no, I can't." He said to himself. "I already did it once, I don't need to lose another year of life." He thought looking away from the wardrobe.

"But then again, the elders have powers far beyond our own. If it is for thier will they can surely find a solution."

He looked at the wardrobe again knowing what he was about to do was wrong. "There is no harm in asking right? I mean I'm just asking." He thought as he wandered towards the wardrobe.

Slipping inside he made his way to the back chamber again to see the medallion. "Fathers of reality." He said gripping the medallion tightly. "It is I supreme chancellor Absalom of the Parpanuan Republic. May your promise to my ancestors be kept for I request audience with nature."

After a brief moment the central gem changed colors. This time to a shiney green like an emerald. A strong feminine voice then called out, "the forces of nature are awaiting your request my child."

"Mother nature, I seek a powerful beast." Absalom said sweating a little bit. "A powerful beast that can deliver a message to the men of the north... and the Mogenite hoard."

"You shall first prepare yourself for the price." The voice said echoing throughout the chamber.

"Dang it Absalom you fell for it again." He said scrunching his face like a child eating a lemon. He relaxed his face a bit and just like before a part of his soul was fleshed out of his body and sucked into the medallion. Absalom fell to the ground in weakness as his body readjusted to the sudden age gain.

"Behold, your carrier is waiting for you in your chamber my child." Then as soon as it started it was over. The gem turned grey again and was placed back on its pedesta.

Regaining his strength Absalom turned around and exited the wardrobe. There on the windowsill was a bird. A big black bird nearly the size of an eagle. It looked at him and kawed as it sat there patiently.

"This is the beast mother nature chose for me?" He asked in his head. "Whatever, the elders know what their doing." He then went to his desk and hastily began writing his letter.

To the mighty Kaiser

We call upon the might of the Jeich in our struggle against the men of the west. Our enemies are many and time is short. I ask you to send aid in our time of need.

         Sincerely; supreme chancellor Absalom

Taking a second sheet of paper he wrote a second message.

To the Czarl of the great Nordiruss

We have heard many stories of your valiant warriors. Their ferocity in battle is matched by none other. It is by this regard that we ask for aid in our battle with the men of the west. Will the mighty Czarl accept thy request for glory and prestige? 

         Sincerely; supreme chancellor Absalom

And taking up a final sheet wrote a third letter.

  To the Khan of the Mogenite hoard

We are aware of our disputes in times before. But now we must call upon your might as our ally. I understand the hate you may possess towards our people still burns within you. But we are willing to offer concessions for your bravery on the battlefield. We are willing to let the past remain in the past so long as you are willing to do the same. We eagerly await your response mighty Khan.

         Sincerely; supreme chancellor Absalom

Having finished his letters he walked up to the large crow and tied the folded letters around it's ankle with a piece of thin string. The crow kawed again as he did this making him jump back startled.

The crow then took off to the north east in the direction of the Mogenite mountains. The older chancellor looked on as the bird flew away for the mountains. "God's speed little one. You are our best hope." He said leaning out the window.

"Who are you talking to?" Timothy asked as he stood in the doorway to his chamber. Absalom jumped up and whipped his body around in shock.

"Good grief mister Timothy, hasn't anyone ever told you to knock before entering a room!?" He asked his heart still beating fast.

"The door was already open so I thought it was okay." Timothy said showing him the open door. "Are you sending letters to the men of the north? Don't you need Fletcher to translate those into the proper languages first?"

"Fletcher does not need to know about this." Absalom said nervous. He didn't want anyone to know that he was requesting aid from the infamous Mogenites.

"Why not? That is his job after all." Timothy asked taking a step inside.

"It's personal. Let's just leave it at that." Absalom said turning his back on the secretary of state.

"Mister chancellor you know I worry about you right" Timothy said taking another step inside. "Are you doing something you're gonna regret?"

To this the chancellor made no response and instead looked down at his feet.

"Ok don't tell me." Timothy said with a sigh. "But if you need to talk about something you know where to find me. Till next time mister chancellor." The secretary then grabbed the door knob and closed the door leaving the chancellor to his privacy.

But what both failed to notice was that the use of a crow as a carrier bird was considered to be a bad omen In times past. Will the letters reach the leaders of the north in time?