Rothester

Chapter 17: The Elves of Eshe

A deafening crack echoes throughout a highly decorated throne room. The dozen or so people flinch as the smell of black powder reaches their nostrils. The smoke dissipates from the origin of the noise where an imposing man stands. Someone on their knees a few meters in front of him has a splotch of blood on their chest. A gunshot has torn through, leaving them in shock at what transpired.

An elf has just been executed in front of everyone. The middle-aged man who holds an engraved and decorated flintlock pistol is Callias Corvus, the Emperor of the Venesian Empire.

"Clean it up," Corvus calmly orders.

As several people approach to take away the corpse of the elf, Emperor Corvus and two others leave the throne room. Within the Imperial Palace in the massive capital city of Ventium, the Imperial Council races to address the apparent failure of their military.

An incredible frustration infests the upper echelon of the Venesian Empire. Though the war in the 'new world' has been making progress, it is still deemed an embarrassment. The once thought primitive elves have proven themselves to be far more formidable than anyone could have predicted.

Their weapons are seemingly stolen and used against them, assassins have continuously been dismantling command structures, and suspected security breaches have exposed their war tactics and strategies. All this accumulated to a near deadlock on the front lines. The Imperial Army advances at a snail's pace. After a series of investigations, the Empire is left stumped at how the inferior elves can inflict so much damage.

Over two hundred thousand Imperial Troops are in south Weslec attempting to subjugate the local populations. The Venesians outnumber the elven warriors, and by all means, the war should have been quick.

Though the initial invasion targeted the Grand Duchy of Eshe, Venesia intends the war to flow straight into neighboring countries. Their priority is to first topple the elf nations before forcing the humans into submission.

By sheer attrition, the Venesians eventually succeeded in gaining their first significant success in the war. While most of the Eshe army was scattered, a large assault force was hastily created, which made its way to strike a decisive blow to the Grand Duchy of Eshe. The assault force was like a spearhead aimed at Eshe's heart with the total weight of the Imperial Army behind it. Fethalean, the capital city of the Grand Duchy, was mercilessly sieged for days as the defenders fought until their last breath.

Try as they might, the elf defenders were slaughtered before nearby reinforcements could arrive to help. The city walls were breached, and the city fell. To make matters worse, the Grand Duke and his family were captured by the Imperial Army and were forced to submit. The Grand Duchy of Eshe formally surrendered, and the Venesian Empire installed a new government.

The Venesian commanders believed that the fall of Eshe was a sign that the war was finally going their way. Unfortunately for them, they were wrong. Resistance groups sprung up to continue the fight, and the frontline has only shifted.

After the fall of Eshe, the next target is the Republic of Naritlume, which has already been directly engaging with the Imperial Army alongside the Eshe army. But the issues persist—war plan leaks, assassinations, and stolen weapons.

The Emperor is understandably furious that the Imperial Army continues to be harassed by an invisible force. Efforts to interrogate and torture prisoners are pursued to determine how their invasion force is so vulnerable. The elf that has just been executed is one such prisoner, but all he gave the Emperor are worthless rumors. Rumors of mysterious unknown warriors who call themselves 'Green Berets'.

Emperor Corvus enters a small room that looks like a war room with a map on a table. Along with him are two others: General Hadrianus and Cardinal Artamo.