Hey, hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! Also to SilverstormXD Thanks for the review and I'm glad you like where the story's going so far! Though I admit I have 2 potential candidates for a pairing but I still can't decide which one . Hopefully when the time comes I'll be able to choose but if not I may need help from you guys the viewers.
Vasel City, westward region
The Imperial blitz had hit hard, the military was utterly overwhelmed by the assault and the eastern half of the city had fallen relatively quick. Gallian high command was in a panic as the Empire had secured a route straight to the capital city of Randgriz. General Damon had little choice but to employ the aid of the Militia, albeit he sent them into the meat grinder as their task was to secure the bridge by charging across its' open ground in the face of enemy armored columns supported by massive amounts of infantry. Welkin's squad was assigned this obvious suicide mission that put the crew even more on edge than they already were, causing tensions to boil over. Welkin had been rushed by Alicia to intervene in an argument between Rosie and Isara, the dispute being over Rosie's racism towards Darcsens and refusing to serve alongside one claiming they were responsible for the calamity that devastated the continent many years before.
"Rosie cut it out! Isara hasn't done anything to hurt anybody! We need to work together if we're going to get through this." Welkin pleaded, defending his adopted younger sibling.
"I ain't fighting alongside no Darscen and that's final!" Rosie snapped back, Largo decided to follow up.
"And I'm not just gonna follow some greenhorn's (unexperienced recruit) orders!" Welkin seeing this was going nowhere had an idea.
He pointed to the bridge behind them, their next objective "I've got a deal for you two, I promise to retake that bridge within 72 hours, if I do you two will follow my orders and like it!" Everyone was shocked, it seemed impossible to take the heavily fortified position without at least weeks of attrition, trying to whittle down the enemy's numbers before pushing through.
"And if we win?" Largo retorted, seeing no reason to agree to a deal they gained nothing from.
"I'll resign and leave command of Squad 7 to you." Welkin smiled, much in contrast to Isara's and Alicia's terrified reactions. Largo simply grunted with a "Deal" and the two walked off.
"Welkin what were you thinking!? How can we possibly retake that bridge within 72 hours?" Alicia was panicking, while Isara was obviously worried.
"Let me get back to you on that heh" Welkin nervously answered, obviously having no clue on how he was going to actually take the bridge, nervously scratching his head as he went off to think up a plan.
Hillside Ledge overlooking the city
Yasuo had been relaxing as he watched the city be overrun by seemingly endless amounts of soldiers, waiting until the Gallians made their move before he decided to help. A lull in the fighting made things uneasily quiet as the invaders were reinforcing their lines and preparing for the next big push while the defenders tried to organize some sort of defense or even possibly a counter attack. Using his built in zoom function he surveyed the battlefield trying to get an idea of how the situation was, on one hand the Empire was already moving troops to cross the bridge which seemed to be the only way across, spelling doom for the poor souls who were inevitably ordered to retake it. On the other side the defenders best option seemed to try to bunker down and wear the enemy forces down in a war of attrition until a breakout could be launched. As the swordsman scanned the city, he noticed what seemed to be a small unit of troops with a tank near the riverbank discussing something. As he zoomed into to get a better look at the scene, he couldn't have known that his gear had given off a glare due to the sun.
River's Edge, Gallian side of Vasel
The squad was still trying to wrap their head's around Welkins new plan to retake the bridge, evidently they had outfitted the Edelweiss with water equipment so it could sustain light water travel. Using nearby flowers to judge the depth of the river, Welkin theorized it was shallow enough for the tank to cross unhindered, and the rest of the group to follow without being detected. The plan was to reach the opposing shore unnoticed and take the defenders by surprise, blitzing their way to the bridge controls to literally take the bridge out from under the assailants. The plan was highly unorthodox and extremely risky since if the enemy detected them or if they failed, it would be difficult to escape crossing the river while under fire. Marina was simply focusing on her next task, her inner thoughts blocking out the voices of her comrades. She looked at maps and across the river to try to get a feel of the terrain, so that she could find a spot to use to provide covering fire as the squad advanced. Thankfully it seemed a tower was located close to the bank of the river, something she could use after they landed. As the sniper's eyes left the map and looked to the horizon, she could see a glint of something, something metallic had given off a glare as the sun hit it. Natural curiosity being so powerful, she went and grabbed her rifle and used its' scope to zoom in on the source, the sight was quite an unusual one. Her eyes widened at the sight of a strange person in armor the likes of which she had never seen before, she quickly began taking note of anything of interest particularly his weapon seemed to be a sword of some sort which was quite odd in modern warfare these days. The suit looked highly advanced even by Imperial standards, making her wonder who this person was and where he came from. As she moved her sight to the mask of the man, she noticed it seemed as if he was looking right back at her, but she quickly dismissed the notion since at this range there was no way he could possibly see them. Marina found herself stunned as the man seemingly looking right at her, acknowledged her presence with a quick wave followed by him jumping down into the city suburbs below out of sight. Her first instinct was to alert Welkin to this unknown person, but she deduced that it would be impossible to prove and even if she did prove it, it would only distract everyone else from the mission. Deciding to keep this discovery to herself for the time being, she refocused herself on the task at hand, preparing to take headshots so that her squad could push to take the bridge. Squad 7 deployed quietly under the cover of fog, the Empire completely unaware of the attack except two soldiers who were talking at the riverside who were quickly dispatched once the Gallians surprised them by emerging from the depths. Marina dashed to the nearby tower, her new sniper's nest giving her a wide field of view of the battlefield. Welkin fired on a canister near some parked enemy tanks, destroying some and crippling the one remaining beyond hope of repair, the ensuing gunfight quickly ending thanks to several well placed headshots accompanied by Rosie and Vyse unloading with their LMG's. As the first outpost fell an Empire officer called in due to reports of gunfire, but thankfully Isara fooled him into thinking it was a simple accident by hijacking their transmission. Knowing it wouldn't be much time the squad continued to push to the control console, unfortunately as they prepared for the final push Isara intercepted a transmission that hinted the Imperials were on to them, so they all prepared to make a mad dash for the bridge controls before reinforcements arrived. Welkin turned the corner and opened fire on the nearest tank, damaging it but making him the center of attention as the defenders opened fire on the Edelweiss. Rosie and Vyse charged to the left using the rubble as cover, flanking several storm troopers who were using a wall as cover. Alicia and Freesia dashed across a bullet filled street to reach the far end, gunning down two lancers and using grenades to clear out the other soldiers hiding in the ruins. Tank rounds flew across the street and bullets whizzed in every direction, the Imperial defenders were barely holding knowing they simply had to buy time for reinforcements to arrive which would definitely overrun the Gallian attackers. Marina had been forced to move from her spot since a large collection of building rubble blocked her view of the front line, now she was forced to use the Edelweiss as cover though it affected her accuracy little as many Imperial heads continued to be pierced. From further down the road leading to the skirmish, an explosion could faintly be heard over the fighting and smoke was rising to the skies, Isara quickly tuned into Empire channel's to see if any news could be discovered on the development.
"5th battalion what's going on out there?! I heard an explosion and there's smoke rising from your convoy's area, please advise over." The radio man at the bridgehead frantically tried to see what had transpired, knowing those reinforcements were the lifeline they needed if they were going to hold.
"We're under attack! Rapid gunfire is obvious in the background along with the screams of men Oh god, it's everywhere! We've lost half our men!" The responder was in an extreme panic.
"What the hell is going on over there?! Who's attacking you? Is it some Gallian resistance fighters?"
"No it's some… I think it's a man I don't know! He just showed up after one of our Darcsen hunter squads returned from rounding up civies! He's too fast we can't stop him! Oh god no no please aaaaaaaaaaagh!" the transmission cut off in static.
In the distance the sound of an explosion filled the air, and another trail of smoke could be seen rising to the sky. Without reinforcements the defenders knew their time was limited, as Welkin and his squad slowly pushed through the street. Several minutes of heavy gunfire ended in the inevitable defeat of the Empire, as Welkin was able to reach the bridge controls and take the bridge out literally from underneath the Imperial forces, sending hundreds into the river. With this new weakness exposed in the enemy's forces, the main Gallian army made a hard push, swiftly retaking the bridge with little opposition. Welkin decided to redirect his squad to the position of the enemy reinforcement convoy that never arrived, keeping his squad on high alert for any traps or ambushes. The sight was a grizzly one, bodies were everywhere accompanied by flames that engulfed much of the main road as tanks had been burning for quite some time.
"These injuries… they seem like stab wounds, but how could someone using a knife or a sword do this to an entire Imperial convoy?" Welkin spoke to himself as he investigated the injuries, his squad keeping an eye on the area looking for survivors. With the main road covered by the fires, the group prepared to head back to base until Alicia spotted a silhouette within the inferno.
"Welkin look! Someone's in there!" She shouted, the entire squad turning their attention, as well as their rifles to the shadow within the flames.
The figure emerged completely unscathed, the flames simply sliding across its' armor. The figure was that of a man but nothing could be certain, he seemed to hold a sword on his shoulder and continued a silent but brisk pace towards the militia group. Welkin already felt uneasy at this unknown person, but quickly snapped himself out of his confusion to take control of the situation.
"Stop right there! This is a warzone, who are you and what's your purpose here?" He put on a straight face and let no sign of fear mark his voice, he couldn't afford to look weak in the face of adversity.
"So, I assume you're with the locals? Nice job by the way, I doubt anyone would've seen that kind of attack coming pretty clever for a kid." The slightly metallic voice threw everyone off, yet it was definitely male. Welkin was also curious that this man somehow knew about their operation, their couldn't have been a leak he'd made sure of it by telling everyone last minute; this meant he watched them go through with the plan which was more disturbing.
"I see you're admiring my handiwork? Not the most elegant thing but it gets the job done, if you don't mind I need to speak to whoever is in charge." He seemed rather friendly, ignoring the tenseness of the situation.
"I can't let you pass without knowing who you are and your intentions." Welkin began to sweat, things could go badly really quick yet the man simply sheathed his sword and began a slow walk forward, everyone tensing up as he did.
"I'm the guy who wiped out this convoy, and possibly wants to help you in your fight; I'd say that's good enough." Everyone remaining quiet as he eventually reached their line, simply passing them by and heading towards the western part of the city. Everyone remained frozen for what seemed like an eternity, until they all regrouped and followed the strange man back to HQ, Marina keeping an extra close eye on him.
Gallian Military Headquarters, General Damon's office
While Damon was pleased that the city had been retaken, reports of a mysterious soldier wielding a sword wiping out an entire Imperial regiment unnerved him. What disturbed him even more was the fact this mystery man was being sent to meet him personally, wishing to speak to the highest military official and only to him/her. He was also very annoyed by the fact this meeting kept him from attending an award ceremony where he would surely be recognized for his valiant efforts in securing the city and taking the first step to pushing back the enemy. It was only a few minutes before the door opened with two armed guards standing at attention on each side, the foreign warrior striding in and taking his seat across from Damon.
"So, you're the one who's in charge around here?" The man asked, in a somewhat patronizing tone.
"Ah yes! I am the great General Damon! Head of the Gallian army, and who might you be? You refused to tell my soldiers your name, when you start working for us we need to know what to call you eh?" His pompous attitude never failed to drown out any sense of nobility or humility.
"I told your men I may help you, I fear for your country's safety if you're the best they have." The man never moved yet, somehow Damon could feel his gaze burrowing into his skull.
"What? How dare you! I am a distinguished general! I've been a leader all my life! My family has served Gallia for generations!" Never one to let his reputation be questioned, nor anyone tell them what they think of him, his outburst was that of an angry child.
"Ah I see, so you're an aristocrat then? Spoiled brats who have everything handed to them because they have money? You have no place in this military, or any army in that matter. You don't care about your men or honor, just your own personal gain; I've dealt with enough of your kind in my lifetime. This was obviously a mistake, I should've known better than join some foreign war." His distaste was evident, the guards nervous as they had no clue what would happen next, the general always got what he wanted, but this man was dead serious, and they feared if push came to shove the walls would be painted red with their blood.
"Now hold just a minute! I have earned multiple awards in my career! Honorable was a title bestowed upon me by her majesty herself!" His face was burning red in rage at this attack on his character, no matter how accurate it was.
The two engaged in a tense glaring match until Yasuo broke the silence "honor is in the heart, not the name" leaving the room and slamming the door behind him. While short, the conversation had its' impact, Damon was outraged and also bewildered that someone had verbally crushed him so easily.
Deciding that he would stay for at least a day, Yasuo headed to the mess hall to grab some food and something to drink; hopefully alcoholic. Navigating the halls became tedious, refusing to ask the guards for instructions mostly out of pride but also since he really didn't trust anyone here with not sending him into a trap. After several minutes (though feeling like hours) he finally found what seemed to be the mess hall, it seemed everyone was celebrating about the recent operation (operation cloudburst from what he overheard) so alcohol was being served. Ignoring the many glares and curious looks he got, Yasuo simply headed to the counter and paid the awe struck bartender for a drink and found himself an empty table in a secluded corner. Propping his legs up on the empty table received him many more fearful stares, obviously he had no idea that only one person ever sat at that table, and nobody dared ever to enter her territory. The doors opened shortly after as a dark haired woman entered, ignoring the jovial celebrations around her and made her way to the counter. Most of the more upbeat and rowdy groups were thankfully out of her way and more to the sides, as all she walked past quickly hushed themselves as she passed. Getting a simple glass of water, she made her way to what was supposed to be her table with the man from before acting like he owned it.
"You're sitting at my table" The stern voice caught the swordsman by surprise, albeit he showed little besides turning his head to see the woman standing behind him, many in the room quietly gazing at the spectacle.
"Then feel free to take a seat, there's plenty of chairs." He quickly replied in an upbeat tone in his voice.
The two simply stood there staring each other down, Marina had to admit the man had guts to simply intrude on her space and then act as if they were old friends. Then again he had no idea of her reputation but there was something about him, he treated her as an equal and had the guts to talk to her unlike everyone here except the idiot Ted who always tried (albeit feebly) to gain her affection with pathetic attempts at conversation. She didn't even know his name and yet from what she'd seen in the field he had earned her respect as a warrior if nothing else, so as to everyone's surprise (earning a few gasps) she simply sat down across the table of him and began eating a meal she'd brought. An awkward silence overcame the table, as well as many who simply stared in awe (including a jealous Ted) that Marina tolerated another living being in her presence.
"You seem to have gained a lot of respect around here, as well as inspired a bit of fear from the looks of it" The swordsman broke the silence noting how others reacted to her presence, and how they still occasionally glance in their general direction.
"A mixture of both, I am a natural hunter and they find their ways to cope with that fact." She never even raised her face to speak, casually taking a bit from an apple. Normally such a statement would seem arrogant, but Yasuo easily saw she wasn't the egotistical type, she merely stated facts.
"You don't play well with others do you?" he responded with a more joking tone.
"They get in my way far too often, you could say I'm a lone wolf of sorts" she replied in her monotone voice, continuing her meal and taking a quick drink of her glass.
She cocked her eyebrow as the man simply chuckled for a bit at her response "You know I find that term to be quite the paradox 'lone wolf'. Wolves are very good hunters and efficient killers, but their strength lies in working in packs as teams; those who go off on their own are usually too weak to be accepted into the pack. I don't see you as weak." Finishing the last of his drink, Yasuo was quite sad as it tasted very good.
"An interesting perspective, one that none had the guts to bring to my attention" she brooded, deciding to sate her curiosity after some silence. "So what's behind the armor? Or are you just a big hunk of metal with no name?" She was blunt, never one to be tact about anything, preferring to just say what she wanted to so her point got across clearly.
Taking a moment to adjust his seat so others couldn't see (he enjoyed fucking with people) the mask opened from all four sides revealing his face. His face revealed a man who was quite young, but had seen his share of trials throughout his life. :"Name's Yasuo" he said in a quiet enough tone so she could hear but no one else in the room could hear. Setting down his empty glass Yasuo rose from the table and turned to leave the room.
"Leaving so soon?" The sniper questioned, surprisingly enjoying the company of another person she saw as an equal.
"Wouldn't want to overstay my welcome, besides I'd better find some place to sleep before everywhere is taken; besides its' been an hour already." Surprise overcame Marina as she checked her watch completely losing track of time. She was most likely going to be deployed tomorrow and had plans that were too late to accomplish now. She rose from her seat and threw her trash away, joining the swordsman as they exited the mess hall, many gaping mouths and wide eyes followed them as they left.
"It's Marina by the way" she remembered she hadn't told him her name as the two walked towards the barracks. She noticed he was seeming to veer off towards the direction of the woods, much to her confusion "Not going to sleep in a hotel tonight?"
"Nah, it'd probably attract too much attention and besides I'm used to living on the road, a nice rock or some brush will do well enough." His reply came as he gazed off into the moonlit forest.
"Understandable, a warm bed doesn't hurt either and I doubt anyone would even be sober enough to bother you" Marina was surprised at herself, she never cared what other people did and yet was suggesting this person find better sleeping accommodations.
"Why thank you Marina, didn't know you cared" his snarky tone quickly annoyed her. "I guess you have a point though, who knows maybe we'll meet again eh?" changing his course Yasuo headed to a nearby motel.
"Maybe we will Yasuo, maybe we will" she convinced herself he was the first person to prove worthy of her time, someone she could consider an equal as a soldier and a hunter. He was certainly more intriguing than most people, maybe that's why he commanded such respect; that and his combat ability which she saw the results of firsthand. She wondered if they'd ever meet on the battlefield, hoping they wouldn't be on opposite sides, for both their sakes.
