Let's see how this one goes.

This one I had an idea over for a while. It also goes along the lines of Metal gear…sorry. I know I keep referencing that, but some themes do come in handy.

Chapter 20

Operation Cloudburst part 1

Breaking the Tide.

Knowing the imps, we had a hard time ahead of us

But with Welkin leading us, I had hope.

But the thing was, breaching their lines.

The plan had better be good.

Paladine (roughly Saturday, don't ask) 25th March 0500 hours.

Weather: dense fog, slightly cold. Low wind speed

As we all prepared for the operation, a grim atmosphere descended upon us. Our 2nd battle to retake Vasel, without tanks and with a questionable leader (to most). Not knowing the numbers of the enemy and not being able to see over the bank.

For all we knew, they were waiting…waiting for us to attempt breaking the siege. It was unsettling, but at the same time, inspiring. We were going to be the heroes of this battle, forcing them out of Vasel, once and for all.

As we all packed the boats, we had gotten split into teams. I was set up with Fina, Aika, Vyse and Alicia, as the boats only took 5 people. The lancers are going to have fun with these things that's for sure.

Alicia, Fina and I were finishing packing our gear as the others were doing the same. Vyse and Aika…well, they had said something about fetching some useful weapons from their rooms. I don't know how they can have anything useful seeing as the water would ruin the guns and we are attacking them with the best we have anyway.

"Sorry we're late!" Vyse shouted. Our group stopped as we saw the pair running towards us, both with the weapons I'd seen them with on the day I first met them. Vyse's swords on his back, Aika's boomerang attached to her leg. They both stopped, breathing heavily.

"What took you so long?" I asked, looking at them.

"We got orders from Welkin to grab these for the operation" Vyse explained, Aika stretching off.

"Something about a little scheme he had ready for the battle" she told me. I nodded, looking at the other two.

"This should be good" I told them. Alicia and Fina got ready to go, sitting in the boat. I turned, about to go and join them when Vyse placed his hand on my shoulder.

"The Boss sent some orders about us three getting ready" he told me. I turned around, looking at the guy. "He said about wanting us to sneak over"

"Sneak over? How?"

"Well, he said about needing some weapons that weren't guns. So we got these babies"

"And this relates to me how?" Vyse smiled as I asked this, producing a knife, held by a sheath of sorts. He passed it to me, and as I pulled the blade out, noticed that it was…nothing more than a kitchen knife. Long, granted but still, I was hoping it was a combat knife. You know, one of those fancy serrated blades made for combat… "I'm guessing this is hinting something…I'm just worried what"

"Ever felt like going for a swim?" Aika asked, as the pair embarked. I raised an eyebrow.

"What does that mean?" I spoke as I followed them into the boat.

Relatively 0530

We had all finished packing relatively quickly, with everyone ready to go in no time flat. After a while, the Edelweiss appeared, grinding along the riverbank with some extra plating. It stopped behind the boats, just about behind the centre. The hatch opened as it stopped, Welkin jumping out and running over to us, holding a blue tube of some sort.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked us. We all nodded…I was most likely nodding out of a sense of 'WTF IS GOING ON!' if that makes any sense at all. "Right, the plan is that you guys go and breach the bank"

"Sounds easy" I commented.

"When you get halfway, I want Vyse, Aika and Craig to climb out the boat and swim to the shore…" WHAT! WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO GIVE ME THAT MEMO! Well…it's nice to know that people care about passing on orders. Now remind me to shoot whoever that was as I'm pretty sure that was a –small- detail to forget. "…and then light this on a safe section of shoreline" he passed the tube to me…oh…it's a flare…Welkin, erm…what about the flare gun? "When we see the light, the Edelweiss will follow and make a camp on river side and await the others to follow. We'll have to be quick once the operation begins, but with the way things are, we should be able to kick the imps out"

I looked away, my mouth open wide from surprise. He was expecting us three people, with no firearms and one with no experience in sneaking around…someone get the wills ready.

"You ready?"

"Let's get on with it" I spoke, everyone nodding. Alicia turned the outboard up a few notches, trying to get moving whilst keeping the noise level down. I took all my guns and ammo off me, placing them down in the boat. I placed the knife and the flare on the inside of my belt..

This is going to be entertaining.

I was nervous

who wouldn't be in my shoes

we were the guys who would secure a foothold

we fail...and its a lot more then us who fall out here