While it had taken a few minutes to clear up the confusion and several more to assuage the anger some of the convoy felt at having to be searched, eventually the convoy made it past the border checkpoint. Or, at least they would have, if they weren’t stopped and made to wait for a pickup. While waiting, the dwarves were talking amongst themselves quite excitedly. As they examined more of the objects around them with ever increasing fascination, their gaze eventually turned to the Mobile Suit Golems that were on guard duty. Despite their curiosity, the dwarves were smart enough to not approach the MSGs and merely observed from a distance. Eventually, one of them swallowed his pride and asked one of the elves the big question.
“Oi, do you sense any magic from them?”
The elf looked stunned.
“I had not sensed much more magic from them than what would innately be in the materials that made them up. I assumed they were some kind of highly advanced ancient dwarven automata.”
“There’s no way even our ancestors would have made something like this, ya daft boy! The automata they built were clockwork by nature and even the most advanced surviving examples compared to these things are like comparing a stone knife to a steel one!”
“So, what you’re saying is that these automata are more advanced and potentially more powerful than the famed Clockwork Legion of the Underkingdom?”
“Definitely. Look at the craftsmanship; they all look identical but have separate, distinct personalities. Only the Land Leviathan built by the first generation has any kind of intelligence and it can still only act out several distinct behaviors and speak several pre-programed lines. These things can hold conversations! So, is it any wonder we are so curious as to how they work?”
“I get it, I get it.”
As the assembled beings were talking, a Ground Gundam made an announcement.
“Attention, ladies and gentlemen. The first part of your multi-step transport to the Sky Citadel: Arcadia has arrived. Please folly me in an orderly fashion as I escort you to your awaiting transport.”
“FINALLY!”
Some of the beastmen exclaimed their joy. If there is one thing that beastmen hate it is standing around doing nothing.
As the ambassadors and guards followed the Ground Gundam through the hallways, a rumbling could be heard. One of the elves had also exclaimed that he could feel the spirits of wind and fire being swirled around like crazy just a little bit ahead. As they made their way to an airport terminal like area, the dwarves rushed past the Ground Gundam but were immediately blocked by several GM Strikers.
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“What in the Ancestor’s names is that thing?!” They exclaimed, as did many of the other organic sapient beings.
What they had seen was a Big Tray Land Battleship that had been refitted to act as an armed and armored ground-based cruise-liner. At it’s sides were four Mini Tray Land Battleships which were equipped normally but had several Zaku Tanks with Flak Cannon Backpacks strapped to the hull.
“Oh, so that’s what this was about. At ease, everyone.”
The Ground Gundam ordered the GM Strikers to stand down and as they did the Ground Gundam bid them part and escorted the assembled organics to the massive windows.
“You will be riding in the larger one while the smaller ones escort you. The larger one has been refitted for comfort rather than combat and is called a ‘Big Tray’ while the smaller ones remain unmodified and are called ‘Mini Trays’. Our creator has spared no expense in outfitting the ‘Land Liner’ with as he expected you would require or desire. We can assure you that the first leg of your trip will be uninterrupted by hostile forces or aggressors.”
As the envoys boarded the ‘Land Liner’ they could never have expected that after reaching the next point they would fly through the air on a refitted Gaw and then sail both above and below the waves in a modified Mad Angler before taking a Salamis to a massive, still-under-construction island fortress that floated in the sky.
…
…
Meanwhile the scouts sent by the Human nations had finally set eyes on the outermost layer of fortifications. It had taken them far more casualties to get here as they lacked the unity of the United Non-Human Alliance or its knowledge of the nature of the Uncharted Lands. Of course, because they were human they had the numbers to spare, but the loss of nearly 9/10ths of the scouts sent by each of the Human nations far eclipsed the 3/60ths that were lost by the Alliance scouts.
However, the Humans didn’t just have the elements, monsters and terrain to worry about. Unbeknownst to them, Arkhan still had a bone to pick with the Human nations, knowing full well they would inevitably try to take his new home from him if given the chance. Therefore, he had not only authorized his forces to arrange ‘accidents’ and to pick off most of the surviving scout parties but also to push the fortifications to the east much farther than to the west. The distance between the farthest fortification on the west to the border of the Alliance was considerably greater than the distance from the easternmost fortification line to the nearest Human Kingdom. In fact, although the Grellekian Kingdom was the only one to have access to the now chartable Uncharted Lands, they effectively only had about 98 miles to expand before running into a wall of defenses that were far more imposing and impressive than the ones on the western border.
While the scouts were busy gazing in both wonder and horror at the massive 48-meter-tall wall made of reinforced concrete, electrified chain-link fencing and razorwire, they were still in the sights of the GM Snipers and Zaku Cannons that were prepared to unleash hell upon them. Much to the dismay of the forces of Arkhan and much to the unknown joy of the scouts, Arkhan decided to let the scouts go. As more and more scout groups had been slain, more and more scout groups were dispatched, and they were more and more capable than the ones who came before them. As Arkhan saw it, he had bought enough time to build a significant defensive position, and now he would potentially have allies to aid in any defensive war with the Human Lands. All he could hope for was that his new potential allies weren’t too put off by the master of this fledgling nation of machines being a member of the race that actively sought their enslavement and extinction…