The Will of Humanity

Seizing Eplye

March 15th 4001AF — Approximately 30,001AD/CE, a fortress siege in Eplye, midday

Nearly a month after that first battle half of Eplye was under Emilia's control, the fighting was mostly a one sided slaughter of the men sent against her. Their armor was no match for stormer rounds, nor could their standard steel swords get any purchase on the armor of Emilia's kingdom marines. Every kilometer of ground having been purchased in the blood of King Sagen's men, none of whom can get through the front lines. Emilia's reflection on the campaign so far being interrupted by a legionary from Willow's legion approaching her"Empress, the next fortress of Sagen's is in sight." she said. Emilia nodded and said "Excellent, we should be at the gates by nightfall. Tell Lady General Carter to ready her legion for nighttime raids on the fortress."
The woman nodded before dashing off to relay the orders to Willow, Emilia then sighed and strode to her vantage point. Looking out over the battlefield bathed in blood, the cries of the dying were too distant for even her enhanced hearing to pick up. Emilia checked her map using the heads up display in her helmet, noting the positions of the six legions she had created. The fortress they were currently assaulting was mostly surrounded by Emilia's forces, the sides that were not dictated by the main roads were too treacherous for any forces that weren't built like her troops. A common design given that most armies would be approaching from the ground, thus defenders would want to limit the directions from which a fortress would be sieged.
The idea was to funnel attackers towards the main gatehouse, where defenders could pick off the attackers as they tried breaching the gates. An idea that was ineffective against Emilia's Fulgur Gladii, their armor was shattering arrows and crossbow bolts alike. As she observed Emilia saw a squad of Sons of Castilho attack a formation of enemy troops, frightening the enemy as they used their energy augmented swords to cut the formation down. Heads and other body parts flew in the wholesale slaughter, those with more brains than guts were running for their lives. Making Emilia glad she had the standing order that anyone who ran from her army instead of standing to fight was to be allowed to live, the goal was to unite all of Terra after all.
Emilia then proceeded to the forward camp, having seen enough of the slaughter for the day. She kept reminding herself that it was necessary, that it would all be worth it in the end. The sun was peeking below the horizon by the time Emilia made it to the camp that was a stone's throw from the walls of the fortress, removing her helmet as she stepped into the command tent. The walls featured feeds from the helmet cams of her entire army, around the central table that was showing a current tactical overview of the battle were the six lord & lady generals. All in a heated discussion about the assault on the fortress. "This arguing is pointless, Empress Emilia has made it clear who is to lead the assault on the fortress." said Lady General Madini Rivers
Her blue eyes flickered to Willow who shared a smile with her sister lady general, their skin tones in no way matched but the sisterly bond was clear. Lord General Korin sighed in frustration as he said "I know, I just would like to send my legion in there with Willow's. According to the intelligence, it gets pretty tight once you get through those walls." Emilia sighed and said "Willow's legion will assault the fortress alone." in a tone that said that the matter was not open for discussion. Korin looked at Emilia with a look of resigned displeasure, though he accepted the final order from her on the matter.
With that settled Emilia looked around at her lord & lady generals, she smiled slightly. "Our conquest is going well, within the month Eplye will be fully under our control." she said, her was voice full of the surety of this statement, one her lord & lady generals could not contest since there was evidence of it from how quickly their legions had swept through and taken half of Eplye so far. The rest of the war meeting involved reading field reports from the troops, mostly gruesome factual tales of the troops opposing them being beheaded or meeting their ends with blood soaked entrails hanging out of their guts. Some even went so far as to cleave men in half, and letting the cleanly severed in two organs spill onto the ground. The reports were enough to make ordinary people vomit whilst reading them, if not for being used to such reports and her genetic modifications Emilia would have been vomiting from reading them.
At the conclusion Emilia and her lord & lady generals left the tent, Willow gathered her legion and marched up the path to the gatehouse in relative silence. Their pitch black armor made them seem to melt into the shadows as Emilia followed them, building up speed as the gates came into view. The legion shattered the portcullis, board locking the gates, and secondary portcullis in their charge. Shocking the guards standing on the walls as they stood with bows and crossbows in hand with arrows and bolts knocked for use, they leveled them to fire just before the legionaries opened fire with their stormers. The rounds zapped targets before penetrating and exploding, splattering a red mist of blood bone and organs all over the walls.
Seeing their comrades became nothing more than red smears the rest of the soldiers surrendered, staying out of the way as Emilia and Willow approached the main keep of the fortress. Just feet from it a man approached the group, standing in their way as he hissed "Stay back or you shall fall golden one, you are no match for the forces you are provoking." Frustrated yet undeterred Emilia approached the man and said "I am Emilia O'Ferrell, future empress of all mankind. Your petty threats do not frighten me, your forces are no match for my own. I'll give you one chance to stand aside, if you refuse to take it then you shall die where you stand."
The man snarled at her before launching at her with a speed that was on the level of her own genetically enhanced speed, stormers rang out their rounds that seem to have no effect on the man. This forced Emilia to draw her energy augmented sword, the blade met the manlike figure just inches from Emilia's faceplate. His growling retort showed her his mouth had sharp, pointed fangs, his face was ashen pale and monstrously grotesque as she met its eyes beneath her faceplate. Growling her own reply to the beast in human flesh Emilia pushed him back with her sword, she whipped it around quickly and beheaded him. The head rolled with black, vile blood splattering everywhere before both head and body dissolved into pitch black ash, slightly shaken by the encounter Emilia and Willow pressed on. By sunrise the following morning Emilia's banner waved above the walls of the fortress, signaling that she had conquered it and the local forces now served her.