13th of May, 2070

White house, Washington DC

It has been a week since the attack and president Arthur McShane is still trying to wrap his head around it. He had been elected a year ago at the age of forty-one and never expected something like this. How could he? Sure, threats existed. There is still unrest within the world and the remnants of True salvation are yet to be caught. But a portal opening to a different dimension and things only found in fantasy books coming out of them and attacking? Never in a milion years.

Extradimensional threats weren't something they considered facing, but they had no choice. Right now, Arthur was in a meeting room with the secretary of defence, John O'Brian, CIA special agents Amanda Collins and Allan Kurk and several other personell. Amanda has prepared a presentation of everything they had learned so far.

"Before we begin.", Arthur said, "I need to know. How many have we lost?"

"Mister President we are still counting the cost.", John said, "We will know for sure-"

"Don't sugarcoat it John. I need to know, give me an estimate."

Letting out a sigh, John replied, "There was a game in progress. And the streets were busy. We estimate the death tole to be in the thousands. California has suffered less, but an unknown amount of people have been taken captive."

"So now we have people on the other side. God knows what's happening out there. The whole world has seen what happened here. They're scared and they look to us for an answer. I got a call from the russian president Dmitri Vukov that I should just destroy the portal. I wish I knew how. How do you propose we fix this?"

"I... I don't know, sir."

Arthur rubbed his eyes and let out a tiring sigh, "Well tell me something usefull then."

To that, Amanda stood up, "Mister President, in the past seven days we have gathered a substantial amount of information regirding the rift, as the elves call it."

"Woah woah, slow down. Rift? Elves?"

"Yes, sir.", she turned the large screen on, showing the portal, "They call it the rift, a sort of portal which connects our worlds. And this is them.", the screen changes to several photos of blue-skinned people, "They call themselves the High Elves from the Empire of Light. In appearance they are humanoid with a few distinct features such as light-blue skin and pointy ears. Apparently they rule the world on the other side and subjugate all who oppose them."

"Reminds me of the regimes from the twentieth century. So why did they attack us?", asked John.

"We are still trying to figure that out.", Amanda changes the photos and shows the various other races.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell is this?", Arthur asked.

"Apart from the elves, the second largest force in their army are the dwarves. Traditionally, they are short, bulky and these have napoleonic era weaponry, muskets and cannons."

"I've heard reports that some members of the police force have been captured along with their weapons.", Arthur said.

"I wouldn't worry about that Mister President.", John said, "Them having muskets proves that they don't posses the technology to produce automatic firearms, which also means they don't have the tools to recreate ours."

"I guess that's reassuring.", Arthur said, "Continue Amanda."

"The third force are people who call themselves the Rosians. They are the closest natives we have to humans on the other side. Apart from their pink skin they look nearly identical to us. They are vassals of the Empire and are forced to fight for them."

"We might be able to use that.", said John.

"Yes well, they aren't the only ones forced to fight. The other intelligent forms of life are Lepians, rabbit people, Feelians, cat people, Leonoids, lion people and Welfen, wolf people. They were enslaved by the elves and have been forced to do menial labour and fight for them ever since. I suggest we turn them to our side first. But we won't be able to get these things on our side.". The screen flashed again and photos of grotesque creatures appeared.

"Fucking hell.", John said.

"Indeed. These are known as the ferrals. Very agressive and animalistic creatures bred by the elves and sent into battle as cannon fodder. The green ones are the orcs, the pig-looking ones are the swine and the bigger and uglier ones are the ogres and trolls. My advice is shoot first and ask questions never. There's no peace or sense with these things."

"Noted.", Arthur said, "What of their governmental structure?"

"All of them function in an aristocratical way, the difference being that the Rosians and dwarves have kingdoms with kings while the elves function like an empire with an emperor. The current emperor is Canus Marius Agorix, the thirteenth emperor. He has full control over the entire empire and is worshiped by his subjects and soldiers like deity. Still there is the imperial senate with one hundred senators who can influence his decision"

"Unsurprising.", John said, "In those kind of times the central figure with the most power was often mistaken for a god. Look at ancient Egypt."

"Right. We don't have much information at the moment. Most of what we already know has been given to us by prince Bodin Zorgen of the kingdom of Alston."

"You have him?", Arthur asked.

"Yes.", Allan said, "We are keeping him in an undisclosed prison. We started interrogating him yesterday and after a single electric shock he sung like a bee. Turns out the rosians hate the elves, especially him."

"Care to elaborate?", Arthur asked.

"Twenty-five cycles, which is twenty years in their world, the rosian kingdoms and duchies organized a full scale revolt against the elven empire. For about three years they've been doing well, but eventually they got beaten and beaten badly. The empire took more of their land, introduced higher taxes and killed the kings and dukes that rebeled. The king of Alston was his grandfather and while he wasn't there he heard the story from his father and now holds a grudge against the elves."

"So why does he fight for them?", John asked.

"He said that disobeying a direct imperial order is instant death and he couldn't allow more harm to come to his home and family. Quite admorable if you ask me."

"Yes. So how did he fight?"

"The vassal rosians gave twenty thousand men to the empire's united invasion force and he volunteered to lead them along with the Iaw, son of the duke of Zirith and a captain of the Opherin army. Iaw is dead and the captain escaped with a dozen captives. Still, Bodin claims he never wanted to attack us and tried his best not to kill any innocent people."

"This proves your point, John.", Arthur said, "Our enemy's ally can be our ally."

"Seems like the empire isn't as united as they claim.", John said, "What about the elves?"

"We've interrogated several.", Allen said, "One of their captains, a guy named Zorgin, but with an 'I', was a tough nut to crack. But the rest screamed like babies after we removed a finger nail or two."

"What did you find out?", Arthur asked.

"Well, you're not gonna like it. Turns out this Empire holds more than half of their continent of North Altia."

"Are there any other continents?", Arthur asked.

"Yes, South Altia and Kaplios, but the details are unknown. North Altia is their place of origin and it's where their capital Elyana is located. The place they attacked us from is in the southeast near the border with Alston on the Galdush fields."

"What is the status of their army?", John asked.

"They're army functions simillary how an ancient army would, mostly resembling Ancient Rome.", Amanda said, "Their army numbers in a total of one milion split into twenty armies of fifty thousand, each controlled by a general."

This came as a surprise. "That's a lot of people."

"It is. This isn't counting the auxillia and the vassal kingdoms. Their numbers are unknown but seeing how strict the empire is and how much they control it is likely they have nowhere near the numbers to rival the elves, even combined."

"And their navy?", Arthur asked.

"Their navy numbers in one thousand ships of various sizes. Much like the army it's split into ten fleets each operated by an admiral."

"I'm surprised they just told you everything. Even with torture this is their military information."

"They don't seem to mind.", Allen said, "They say that we've only faced a fraction of their full power and soon the full might of the empire will be thrown at us. I swear, their horse is so high is might as well be a girrafe."

The people in the room chuckled to that. Clearly these people have quite a massive superiority complex.

"How many have they sent in invasion?", John asked.

"On the ground?", Allen replied, "About a hundred thousand. Half of those were the elf's fourth army led by general Ylindar Glynra, who is confirmed dead. By sea they sent their seventh fleet under admiral Lothar Tanros, who is also dead. But their officers proved more than enough to learn about their structure. All in all we destroyes five percent of all their ground forces and a tenth of their navy in one day. Something I doubt they've seen before."

"If these people are as full of themselves as you say they are then they will be back.", Arthur said, "And we have to prepare."

"Already on it Mister President.", John said, "The coast guard is patroling the rift in the sea and the National guard has a perimeter around the rift in Lumberton. Nothing will get in or out without us knowing."

"And the other side?"

"We've sent drones to scout the area. The air is breathable and the composition of the soil is identical to ours. No enemies have been spotted yet. There could be an enemy encampment hiden within in the vicinity but we don't know."

"So they assumed that the invasion would be a success. We'll have to act quickly before they realise otherwise. Get in touch with the army forces in and near North Carolina as well as the navy in the west coast. I want an expedition force ready as soon as possible."

"Yes Mister President. But you should focus on-"

"I know John, I know. Adressing the nation. This is a real pain."

---

The next day

Undisclosed location

Bodin's time in the human's prison wasn't bad. The bed was comfortable, the food was nice and he wasn't tortured. All he had to do was answer questions and no harm would come to him or his surviving soldiers. He was glad that at least a part of his army had survived. From what the prison keeper, or warden as he called himself, all rosians are receiving better treatment than the elves as they chose to cooperate rather than insult. Good. Those bastards deserve that and more. If those find out that Bodin was giving information to the humans, he would be branded a traitor and killed. But it's worth it in his mind if it meant the end of the empire.

Right now he was praying to the spirits. He had heard that spirit magic doesn't work in this world but it was all he could do. Perhaps his prayers could somehow reach his world through the rift.

"Vita. Heavenly spirit of life. Grant me the strenght in my heart to live on in your name, so that I may prevent the death of my people. Morto. Heavenly spirit of death. Bring destruction to my enemies, my true enemies. Pofectia. Spirit of joy. Grant me peace of mind so my heart stays true to my path and doesn't falter to fear. Negatis. Spirit of rage and hatred. Grant me the strength of a burning storm so that I may deliever punishment to those of cold hearts. Elendi. Spirit of the earth, water and air. Watch over my people, my family and my kingdom. Do not let them suffer a faith undeserving."

With that he got up to his feet and as soon as he did, three knocks came from the door behind him. "Prince.", spoke the person on the other side, "It's time. You know the drill."

"I am unsure what a drill has to do with this.", Bodin said, "But I do know what to do."

The man on the other side opened two small windows in the door and Bodin let his hands out one. As the man chained his wrists and ankles he chuckled, "I'll have to teach you some slang later.". He opened the door and two guards in black armour led Bodin through the halls.

Bodin walked through these halls twice before, but they amazed them every time. They were pearl white and pristine. The prison was like a maze of identical hallways and walls. It was a miracle these people knew where to go. Clearly this nation had builders of great magnitude. All the more reason why the invasion was a bad idea. After some time they reached a familiar door. Bodin entered and saw his interrogator, Charles Polanski. He said he was from an organisation called the Central Intelligence Agency or CIA for short. The way he explained it it sounded much like the Inquisition of the empire.

"Ah, prince Bodin.", Charles said, "Please take a seat. I apologise for the chains but rules are rules."

"I undestand Ser Polanski. No need for apologies."

"I told you, I'm an agent not a ser."

"Right. Forgive me."

"No worries. You've been of great help to us, prince. We appreciate that. But today is a very special and important day."

"How so, agent?"

"Because today our president is deciding what we are going to do about this rift problem."

Bodin's heart stopped for a second. This was it. This was the day the leader of the humans will decide the fate of North Altia and possibly the rest of the world.

"You do remember what a president is?", Charles asked.

"Yes. He is like your king, but he does not have full power and his decisions are put to a vote."

Charles chuckled, "Pretty good. You're a fast learner."

Bodin smiled at that, "That is what my father says as well. In truth, your world is fascinating. I wish things were not the way the are."

"We all do. You wanna watch the speech?"

At this Bodin was stunned. "H-How?"

"Do you see that thing behind me?", Charles asked pointing at the mirror behind him.

"Yes. It is reflective glass. Where I come from it is rear and expensive, but you say you have tons of it."

"Good. We do. But this glass also doubles as a television screen. In short, that's a machine we use to watch what happens in the world. So no matter how far away something is we can always use this to see it. Think of it as a mirror to our world."

Bodin could just stare in awe. How could such a thing exist? It must be magic. But magic doesn't exist here, so how?

"I won't go into details.", Charles said as he got up and moved his chair out of the way, "Just know we can use it to watch the speech. It's about to start.". The glass changed colors and Bodin saw people moving.

"This is Frank Jensen and I'm live in Washington DC.", spoke the man in the screen glass, "Today is the day President Arthur Cole will adress the nation about the incident in Lumberton and San Diego. People wonder what the president will say. Some speculate that he will declare all out war while others hope for potential peace. In any case, we will get our answer soon enough."

Soon after a man dressed in what Bodin assumed the noble attire of this world stepped on a podium. His stance told Bodin everything. This was their leader.

"My fellow Americans.", he spoke, immediately grabbing everyone's attention, "On May 5th of this year, a tragedy struck our nation. We have prepared ourselves against every threat, domestic and abroad, but could have never prepared for this. An enemy that does not exist in our world, but in another one, appeared in the heart of our country. They opened a gateway and struck without warning, unprovoked. They sent their soldiers and monsters and immediately started slaughtering our people all in the name of their so called light. They call themselves the High Elves and say that they fight for their empire. They declared us savages and swore to snuff us out of existence. But the american people will not fall so easily! Even though they were late, the police forces along side the national and coast guard drove the enemy back and prevented them from causing further destruction. But the damage has already been done and our nation has been scarred. However, we will not keel over and wait for their next assault. Instead, we will bring the fight to them. Our forces will lead an expedition and we will introduce ourselves to this empire. This act of agression shall not go unanswered!"

The people cheered and roared in approval, as to be expected. They want justice for their people. A part of Bodin was happy, the elves will finally get what they deserve. But on the other hand, what will this mean for his people and for the other vasals? He could only hope the humans will be merciful.

"There you have it.", said Charles, "We're going to war."

"While I find all of this very impressive, I do have an advice."

"And what would that be?"

"Do not seek peace with the elves. They opened these rifts because they claim they saw a vision of their world being destroyed by your hands."

"I see. I'll let my superiors know. But as for today's topic, nations. You saw our president, the leading figure of the United States of America. That is our nation."

This revelation shocked Bodin, "You mean your world is called America and all the nations are united?"

Charles laughed at that, "No no no. Lemme show you.".The screen turned into a map of the world, "You see this. This is the United States. We are a constitutional republic made up of fifty-two states. But there are many more nations out there. In total the population of our world is slightly above seven bilion."

Just when Bodin thought he heard everything, this came through his ears. A world of seven bilion people? And the empire went to war against it?

"Now, the United States is one of the three super powers along with Russia and China, the two of the largest countries. Honestly you should consider yourself lucky the rifts opened here and not there. Cause if they did you probably wouldn't be alive right now.", Charles laughed a little bit and Bodin let out a nervous chuckle, "Now. There are two large unities in this world. The North Altlantic Treaty Organisation, or NATO for short, which are the blue countries, and the red ones are the Eastern Powers United or EPA. We are all united however in the United Nations where we decide global destinies."

"So, will NATO attack the empire then?"

"Not yet. First we'll asses the situatuon for ourselves and then decide."

"I just told you! You cannot blindely go in and seek peace! They consider you as their greatest enemy!". A guard pulled him back to his chair and Charles gestured him to back off. "I... I apologise."

"It's fine. But this is how we do things. The reason I'm not worried is because this already happened."

"It... It did?"

"Yes. One hundred and twenty-eight years ago, a nation attacked us without warning just like you did. They struck fast and hard. We lost much that day. But then they left without attacking further, thinking we would just keel over. And do you know what we did in response?"

Bodin was scared to ask, but did anyway, "What did you?"

The screen changed again. It showed a large city with many great towers. The weather was clear and the land was peaceful. But then something dropped from the air. Some kind of large egg. And as soon this egg hit the ground, the whole city was engulfed in a ring of fire. The towers crumbled, the people died by the thousands and afterwards all that was left was a crater in the ground and cloud in the shape of a mushroom in the sky.

Bodin shuddered to imagine something like happening to his home city. Everyone and everything would die instantly. "W-What was that?", he asked shakingly.

"That was an atomic bomb capable of destroying an entire city with everything and everyone in it. Now do you see why we seek peace? We don't want to use this weapon, but we will if we have to. Now, let's talk more about your nations."

---

Meanwhile

DARPA research facility, Richmond, Virginia

Doctor Penelope Connors, research log 1, designation: North Altia biology. Specimens have been designated under letter R. Begin.

Specimen R-01:High Elf. Humanoid in appearance with several distinct features. Skin color light blue, ears pointy and hair blond or silver across all speciments. Silver hair appears to be a sign of seniority. Internal structure remarkably similar. The heart is in the center of the chest as opposed to the left side, the liver is smaller. Blood cells are in a shade of cobalt blue. No sign of enhanced muscular or skin density. Threat level normal unless in higher numbers or in close combat. Magic is an unknown factor.

Specimen R-02:Rosian. Very much resembels a human. The only distinct feature is the pink skin. Threat level same as High Elf.

Specimen R-03:Dwarf. Body height shorter than that of a human, an average of five feet, but a more stocky structure. Bone and skin density higher than a human's. Able to use napoleonic era weaponry. Threat level normal to high. Direct positioning should be avoided due to more advanced weapons.

Specimen R-04:Lepian. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of rabbits such as long ears on the top of the head, visibly different legs with a denser musculature and a tail. Hearing and running speed likely higher than a human's. No males found suggesting a female dominated group. A possible threat if not watched out for.

Specimen R-05:Feelian. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of cats such as cat-like ears, whiskers next to the nose, a tail, retractable claws and cat-like eyes. Hearing, smell and speed likely higher than a human's. No males found suggesting a female dominated group. A possible threat if not watched out for.

Specimen R-06:Leanoid. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of lions. No females found and a great resemblance to Feelians suggests a symbiotic relationship. Muscular density, jaw strength, reflexes, hearing and smell higher than a human's. A large threat in close quarters.

Specimen R-07:Welfen. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of wolves. Muscular density, jaw strength, reflexes, hearing and smell higher than a human's. A large threat in close quarters.

Specimen R-08:Ferral orc. Appearance humanoid with several distinct features. A larger frame and higher muscular and bone density, pointy ears and green skin. Ironicly more animalstic than the animal-like people with the basic level of inteligence and agressive nature. Higher skin density requiers the use of 6.8mm. A large threat in close quarters.

Specimen R-09:Swine. Appearance humanoid with distinct animal features of pigs. Height between a human and a dwarf. Ferral level inteligence. A threat in close quarters.

Specimen R-10:Ogre. Appearance humanoid. A much larger frame than a human's. Ferral level inteligence. Strong enough to knock over cars. Higher skin density requiers the use of a larger caliber. Soldiers should be advised to aim for weakspots such as the head, chest and joints.

Specimen R-11:Troll. Appearance humanoid. Larger frame than an ogre and greater strength with lesser speed and manuverability. Ferral level inteligence. Higher skin and muscle density requiers the use of a larger caliber and explosives. Soldiers should be advised to aim for weakspots such as the head, chest and joints.

Specimen R-12:Wyvern. Appearance dragon-like. Measures between twenty-three and twenty-five meters in length. Bones hollow and only two legs, much like birds. Teeth sharp enough to pierce aluminum. Scales strong enough to reflect anything short of a fifty caliber. Soldiers advised to carry anti-air weaponry.

Further research is requierd upon reaching the other side of the rift.

End of chapter 4