Chapter 55- A well earned Gift
The militia was out in the far east of the plains of Naggiar, getting hammered relentlessly by a very large Imperial force that was slowly advancing towards them, though it was not the main Imperial force, rather a vanguard force.
Shells from tanks exploded all across the Gallian defensive line, bullets and tracer rounds filled the dark sky as both sides fired at each other. Squad 7 was located at the very center of the small defensive line that was trying to hold back the Imperial army. And fortunately for them, Selvaria Bles had not shown herself on the battlefield just yet. But then again, she might not have to, for the Gallian Militia were suffering so many casualties that day and becoming weaker by the minute.
A large explosion rocked Welkin's tank hard to the right, but it remained on all treads. Welkin steadied himself and looked back through the scope, eyeing a large Imperial tank advancing towards them, firing shells at them.
"Almost… almost!" Welkin said aloud as the tank was nearly in the middle of his crosshairs, a moment later it was dead center, "FIRE!" and the Edelweiss's mighty barrel fired a shell at the tank, blowing it to smithereens.
But another explosion to the left, rocked the Edelweiss once more and Welkin quiclly righted himself back up into his seated position as he looked through the scope once more, spotting at least 3 more tanks appear as they rolled up over a nearby hilltop.
"Damn… for every tank we take out, three more take its place." Welkin said to Kreis.
"S-sir, d-d-do we really have to stay here and fight?" asked Kreis. "We're greatly outnumbered and outgunned."
Welkin sighed, "I know Kreis, but withdrawal is not an option." said Welkin, "We still do not know if the Princess has been evacuated. If she has not and we retreat, we'll put her life in great danger. So until we get word or otherwise, here is where we stay."
Kreis lowered his head for a moment, "Understood sir…" he said, tightening his grip around the steering wheel of the Edelweiss.
Meanwhile, outside, Rosie was a few meters ahead of the Edelweiss with the rest of the foot soldiers inside a deep dug trench, on a raised hill that put them just a few meters below Welkin's tank. All of them were firing at the large Imperial force.
Rosie ducked back into the trench and loaded one of her last 3 remaining machine gun magazines into her machine gun. She cocked back the firing bolt, but looked down and to her right, at the little Darcsen protective charm doll that she had received from Isara. She reached down and held it in the palm of her right hand, her machine gun raised up in her left.
Despite all the gunfire and explosions going on, she happed to smile a little bit, "Well kid, looks like I'll be joining you pretty soon kiddo," Rosie said. "The thought of joining you and the other's we've lost in this war isn't so bad… kind of something to look forward to and not be afraid of…"
Another explosion went off nearby, throwing dirt and other falling debris into the small trench that everyone was huddled inside. Rosie grunted angrily, "I looked forward to joining you, but sorry to say, that you'll have to wait… just a little longer!" and Rosie stood up once more, bringing her machine gun up to her shoulder, then spraying bullets wildly left and right, not really aiming, just spraying and praying.
Close-by Largo had his shoulder against the earth wall of the trench and was carefully peering over the top of the trench, spotting a large column of tanks coming towards them. He got back inside the trench and looked to his left and right, to the other lancers of Squad 7. No words were needed as he nodded to them all.
"Eat this Imp!" Largo bellowed as he stood up from the trench as did the other lancers and all fired their lances at nearly the same time, some missing and striking the ground near the tanks, others were more lucky and hit dead center. But only 2 out of the 5 tanks were destroyed. But in the long run, those losses didn't seem to matter to the Imps, as even more appeared, rolling over the distant hills, hundreds of foot soldiers running beside or behind them.
"Running low on ammo!" Karl shouted as he knelt down with his open backpack in front of him. Every few seconds soldiers from Squad 7 would run up to him to receive more ammo after they had run dry, but very soon he would have no more to hand out.
Dallas handed the last 2 clips of Machine gun ammo to Wendy and Jane before yelling "I'm out!"
Nearby, Edy Nelson was firing over the top of the trench, but her gun let out numerous 'clicks' as the last of her bullets were gone. She reached over, held out her hand and yelled, "Homer!" Asking for more ammo. And she felt one more clip enter of the palm of her awaiting hand.
"Last one, Miss Edy" Homer said kind of sadly.
"Guess I better make them count!" Edy said while chuckling.
Suddenly, all the firing on one side seemed to stop, much to everyone's surprise. And soon after all firing on the Gallian side had stopped as well, soldiers curiously poking their heads out from the trench, wondering why the Imperials had stopped shooting at them. Now they saw why all the firing had stopped. The Imps had stopped advancing completely, and in the middle of all the packed Imperial soldiers and tanks, stood Selvaria Bles, her body bathed in the glowing blue light or flame as she was seen with on the field of battle previously.
"Oh no… it's her," said Elysse Moore, dreadfully.
"This. Is. Bad." said Jane Turner.
"I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die…" Susie Evans said, trembling in fear, crouched down in the trench. But Jane Turner knelt down and patted her on the shoulder.
"Be brave girl, face death like a man… so to speak."
"Oh well, at least I get to die with a lot of handsome hunks all around me. Couldn't ask for a better death!" Freesia York said with a grin.
Rosie just lowered her head and placed it against the earth wall in front of her, this was it, in just a few moments she'd be with Isara and the other members of Squad 7 who had died in previous battles.
Across from them, Selvaria eyed the small Gallian force that stood between them and the rest of Gallia and the Capital of Randgriz, the Imperial Armies objective. But there had been so much killing over the past few days that she decided to offer them another way out. So she walked forward and began to address the Gallians in a loud and echoing, other worldly voice.
"Listen to me Gallia!" she said, "Cast aside your weapons, and surrender! If you do not, Naggiar's plains will drink deeply of your blood!"
The soldiers behind her all raised their weapons up and cheered loudly in a single deafening uproar.
All of Squad 7 ducked back down into the trench at nearly the same time, Welkin also came out from the tank hatch and looked down at his soldiers. All of them were in their own little worlds as they either looked up at the sky, down at the ground or prayed with their hands cupped together.
Rosie looked over at Largo and smiled, slapping him on the shoulder, "No Retreat…" she said, Largo smiled, "No surrender…" he said next.
Rosie then looked around at the soldiers who had turned their attention to the both of them. She smiled and said aloud. "No Retreat! No Surrender!"
There were a few nods, some balled their fists up and nodded as well.
"We're with you, Rosie!" Jane said, pounding her fist against her chest, "For Gallia! For Freedom! To the Death!"
"Yeah! Yes! For Gallia!" the other's said immediately after.
Rosie looked up at Welkin and he nodded and smiled.
"So be it, we'll give these Imp Bastards a response they'll never forget!" she said, cocking back her machine gun loudly, "And we'll all fight together… One Last Time!"
"YES!" Largo bellowed
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Selvaria was surprised to see that none of the Gallians had surrendered or appeared from the line of trenches. So she walked forward, pointing her lance threateningly towards the Gallian lines.
"Gallians! Throw down your weapons and surrender!" she yelled her other worldly voice echoing across the plains.
Still no response, she breathed deep while glaring at the Gallian lines, angered by their silence. But that silence was broken by a single, loud, echoing boom.
And as she looked up, she saw a brightly glowing, spinning tank shell flying towards her. But she drew her lance back and swatted away the single shell with ease, sending it flying up towards the sky and exploding a split second later. The troops around her instinctively ducked down before looking back up at the Gallian lines.
And amidst all of the sandbags and other defences, a single red headed soldier appeared before them, "Imperials!" she said, raising her machine gun up, hundreds of Gallians all across the line appearing from the trenches, like an army of gophers sticking their heads out of their burrows. And all of the soldiers had their rifles, machine guns or lances aimed over the top of the trenches, aimed directly towards the Imperials.
"You want our weapons, then come and get them!" Rosie screamed, squeezing the trigger and firing off a hail of bullets that flew towards the Imps. A volley of bullets and lancer anti-tank rounds followed right after Rosie fired her burst.
"Insolent Gallians!" Selvaria growled as she backed up with her shield raised in front of her body, blocking the incoming rounds. She looked back at her soldiers and was about to wave her lance forward, signalling them to charge. But something caught her eye, something white and bright that stood out in the black, barren wasteland of the Naggiar plains. And she could scarcely believe it herself when she realized what, or rather who it was, looking down at them from atop the distant rolling hills.
"Princess Cordelia…" she said softly, looking up at her, standing alone from atop her distant hilltop position.
At the same time, someone on the Gallian line's shouted "It's the Princess! The Princess is here!"
Everyone stopped firing and looked behind their position and spotted her, alone, staring down at them from high up on the hills.
"It can't be…" said Welkin as he appeared from the tank hatch.
Meanwhile Selvaria closed her eyes and smiled, "Hmph, what a fool," she said to the soldiers next to her, "The Princess has come here and all alone too. This will make our mission a whole lot easier."
An officer next to her was looking at the princess with a pair of binoculars, but slowly lowered them, "She's not alone…" he said with a shaky voice.
"What?" Selvaria looked back up and this time spotted a man and a woman standing on either side of her. And though he was far away, Selvaria recognized him right away, "It's the Arcadian… he still lives."
At the top of the hill, just behind the Militia defensive line, Princess Cordelia, Vyse Inglebard and Captain Varrot looked down at their Militia allies and the large Imperial force across from them. Vyse quickly un-slung his machine gun from his shoulder and held it high in the air with one hand, looking over his shoulder at the same time.
"Regulars!" he shouted in a loud, echoing voice.
Just then, all across the hilltop appeared dozens of blue, red and white tanks. They were almost evenly spaced apart as they drove forward, coming to halt at the top of the hill. Next came wave upon wave of tens of thousands of Gallian regular soldiers; dressed in blue, black and gold uniforms of the Regular Army also appeared. They took up positions both in between and behind the tanks, fully armed and ready for battle.
Some of the Imperial soldiers next to Selvaria began to visibly tremble and back up a few steps as they looked up at the new massive force of Gallian soldiers, who's numbers were now far greater than their own.
Selvaria just lowered her head, closed her eyes and smiled, "This is a surprise…"
Across from them, the Militia soldiers began to cheer joyously and hug each other. Reinforcements were finally here, along with the Princess herself. She had not abandoned her people, like some of them had thought. Not only that, she had come with the entire Regular army.
"Never thought I'd be so happy to see those bastards!" Jane said while shaking Susie by the shoulder.
Finally, Princess Cordelia stepped forward, ahead of all her soldiers and raised her right arm high in the air, looking back at her soldiers, and then to Vyse, who nodded his head while grinning.
"Now, my brave soldiers… Forward into Battle!" she yelled while waving her right arm forward. Not even 1 second after she had given the command, Vyse Inglebard was the first to charge down the hill, followed immediately by Captain Varrot, both were yelling while running down the steep hill.
All at once, soldiers and tanks began to charge forward, down the hillside, covering the black, barren plains of Naggiar in a sea of blue, white, black and gold from their uniforms and tank armour. All were yelling and shouting, causing the Imperials across from them to back up even more as they looked at the sea of soldiers that filled the entire horizon, charging straight towards them.
Selvaria looked back at her men, then to the new Gallian army that was headed towards them. She kept her eye on the young man that was in front of the entire charging army. The Arcadian, the one she had let live. She looked forward to facing him again, but her thoughts then turned to her soldiers and she waved her lance back and shouted, "All forces, pull back to the main army, we'll return once we have gathered our entire invasion force." she ordered. All of her soldiers obeyed. The tanks going into reverse and driving backwards across the plains of Naggiar, the soldiers did an about-turn and hurriedly made their way back East, to join up with the rest of the Imperial army that was located less than 4 miles away.
Not long after, the Regular army joined up with what remained of the Gallian militia army. There were many handshakes, hugs and other grateful expressions being exchanged between the regular and militia soldiers. Finally, after some searching, Captain Varrot and Vyse made their way through the trenches and the sea of soldiers and were able to meet up with Squad 7. There were many wide eyed stares and gasps as everyone saw Vyse Inglebard, back in uniform and back on the battlefield.
"M-mister… Inglebard?" Aisha asked, still unable to believe it was really him that she was looking at.
"Vyse…?" Freesia asked
Many of the other members of the squad just stared silently at Vyse as he looked back at them in silence as well. But Vyse didn't know what to say to them, for he still felt ashamed that he had almost abandoned them and acted so coldly towards them, when he was about to leave for home. Even more, he still felt terrible that he caused so many of them to lose friends because of his rescue mission, a few days earlier.
So Captain Varrot decided to step up and she placed a hand on Vyse's shoulder while looking at the rest of the squad, "Soldiers of Squad 7!" she said in a loud and clear voice, "As you can see, Vyse Inglebard has indeed returned to the squad. So I hope you all realize what this means and what he has given up in order to be here with us."
Some of the squad members nodded, other's remained quiet, like Marina, Lynn and Karl.
Captain Varrot then put her arm around Vyse's shoulder as she continued on, "For him it means so many things…
He knows just how desperate our situation, here on this battlefield is. He knows that the Imperials far outnumber us and still have the Valkyria on their side. He knows exactly what his chances of survival are and just how bloody and deadly this upcoming battle will be…" said Varrot sadly, "And lastly… he knows that if this day does not go our way… then he knows that he'll never see his homeland or family again."
Vyse's head was still lowered, but he nodded his head, showing he did indeed fully understand the gravity of the situation. As the members of Squad 7 listened, some of the female members like Freesia, Aisha and Susie were all getting teary eyed as they listened to Varrot speak for Vyse.
"Despite knowing all these things, he has returned, of his own free will and begged to be returned to active service. So that he may fight along side his squad mates, his friends… his family!" said Varrot. She then turned and looked proudly at Vyse. "As a soldier of Gallia, he knows his duty and exactly what is to be expected of him. I hope you are all able to welcome him back, in your own way. I know I am certainly glad that we have such a fine, upstanding, young man serving in Squad 7."
Finally Vyse had gotten his confidence back and looked around, at all of soldiers of Squad 7, who were looking back at him. He dropped to one knee and then spoke, "Men and women of Squad 7... Forgive me, I was wrong to despair so greatly and lose all my confidence and belief in myself after… what happened just a few days ago," said Vyse. "I- I cost each of you, a dear friend and so much more with all those who died that day… I'll never be able to make up for it. But I swear to you all, here and now; that I will remain here, with you all, throughout this battle… and till the end of this war. I won't return home, until I've help Gallia win this war! Even if, it requires my life, I will sacrifice it gladly to be a good servant and soldier of this nation of Gallia. This, I swear, by my Arcadian blood."
Everyone from squad 7 remained quiet as they looked at Vyse. Some with proud eyes, some nodded their heads and smiled, other still remained quiet, like Lynn, Marina, Karl and a few others.
Finally Aisha walked to up Vyse and took him by the hand, and smiling, she said, "Welcome back, Mr. Inglebard!"
Other's then joined in welcoming Vyse back to the squad, by patting him on the back or by shaking his hand. Some of the girls such as Ramona and Freesia gave Vyse a warm hug to welcome him back. His return to the squad was far warmer than he could have ever expected, and in his mind, he already was home and amongst family once again.
"We'd love to welcome you back more properly, but it doesn't look like we have time to…" Rosie called out from the front of the trench and sandbags piled at the top. That was when everyone turned and looked to the Far East. The sight they saw set fear into their hearts. It was the main Imperial army, the entire invasion force, slowly approaching over the far sloping hills. This time, they seemed to stretch to the far horizons on each side, in a long line of soldiers, tanks and other vehicles that were steadying driving or marching forward.
"Get to your positions!" Welkin shouted from a top his tank, before disappearing back into the Edelweiss and closing the top hatch.
Everyone, regular and militia then began to get back into the trenches, behind the sandbags and prepare their rifles, machine guns, lances. They quickly checked the rest of their gear, to ensure that they had sufficient ammo, grenades and ragnaid to last throughout the battle or for as long as they could hold out. This battle would probably be, by far, the biggest, longest and deadliest fight in the entire war, with both sides using almost their entire armies on one battlefield.
As the Imperials got closer, the ground seemed to shake and tremble with the steady, rhythmic marching of the soldier's feet. Vyse even looked at a small pile of rocks nearby at the top of the trench. They were piled high, but were shaking and seemingly jumping up and down with the left, right, left, right thumping of thousands upon thousands of Imperial soldiers marching feet.
Now everyone was dead quiet, save for a few silent prayers being spoken by some of the soldiers nearby. Now, even Vyse began to pray.
"Father… please watch over Aika and see that she makes it safely back to Arcadia and away from this war. Please grant me the strength to fight without fear, doubt and to do the best that I possibly can in this battle. I ask that you protect all of the soldiers of squad 7, who are like a second family to me. If it is your will that today be my last day on this earth, then I accept this fate. But let me go down fighting, like a true Arcadian hero… amen."
Vyse once again opened his eyes and looked towards the vast approaching army. Just then, he felt a hand squeeze his own. He looked over and saw young Aisha looking up at Vyse with fear in her eyes. Her tiny hand was trembling in his hand.
"M-Mr. Inglebard…" she asked with a shaky voice, "Can we… win this battle? Do you think we even stand a chance? Can we win today…?"
Vyse looked off to the side for a moment, and then looked all around himself. It seemed that the other members of Squad 7 had heard Aisha's question to Vyse and were also waiting for an answer. Then, ever so slowly, Vyse's lips began to curl into first a smile, then a full, wide grin, even showing off his pearly white teeth. That was all the answer that Aisha or the other's had needed. Being able to See Vyse's trademark grin. The same one he always gave, right before each successful battle that they had ever fought, throughout the entire war.
Both sides were within firing range of each other now, but neither side had fired… just yet. Now, both massive armies stood across from each other, Gallia and Imperial. All was quiet, both sides glared at each other. It was a sight never seen before, the entire Imperial invasion army and the entire Gallia army, both regular and militia, here on this battlefield.
Again, Selvaria marched to the front of the Imperial army and pointed her long, blue, spiral lance at the Gallians. "Last chance Gallia, surrender before the might of the Imperial army, or be crushed by it."
The Gallian's remained silent, they had given their answer, "So be it!" Selvaria shouted, Selvaria held her lance high in the sky and waved it forward, "Now! Char-"
Suddenly, on the far left side of the Imperial line, a shrieking, blue, swirling beam of energy struck the Imperials and was dragged through the line from left to right. Moments later, massive explosions cut a large, wide swath of destruction, right through the Imperial line. Blowing up tanks, vaporizing soldiers, armour and all.
"What the!" Selvaria cried as she looked to her right, seeing the massive amount of devastation that was just unleashed upon her soldiers.
She, then everyone else, Gallian and Imperial looked up, into the sky. They spotted a single girl, engulfed in a blue flame, sailing majestically through the air and landing at the front of the Gallian army in a slow, but perfect front flip. This person, was dressed head to toe in a Gallian militia uniform, but was covered in the same, unmistakeable, blue flame that Selvaria was currently engulfed in as well, the blue flame of a Valkyria.
As the members of Squad 7's eyes slowly moved up, they saw the symbol of 'Scout' at the back up this girls uniform, but what they saw next, left no doubt as to who it was, standing before them. It was a red and white headscarf, one completely unique to the girl who wore it all the time.
"Alicia!" Vyse cried out, staring up at this girl wide eyed.
"No! She can't be a Valkyria!" Welkin cried out next in complete and utter surprise.
Though this new Valkyrian girl wore a Militia uniform of Gallia, all of the soldiers, Regular and Militia began to climb out of the trenches and back away, quickly, in fear. It seemed Alicia the Valkyria had heard all of the commotion as well and she slowly turned and looked back at everyone, moving away from her.
But this Alicia, was not the one that the 7's had known and come to respect and love. They could see it in the way this Alicia looked at them with large, red, unblinking eyes. She wasn't blinking at all; her arms were held plainly out to her side, her legs even seemed unsteady. It was almost as if this Alicia wasn't herself and was maybe even, sleep walking or acting on instinct, unconsciously.
Suddenly, her head quickly turned to the right, just as a pair of hands grabbed her by the shoulders, "Alicia!" Vyse's voice cried out, "You… you're a Valkyria! You've had this power all along, haven't you?"
Though 'Alicia' didn't answer and looked at Vyse with her unblinking red eyes, hands still at her sides, clutching a lance and shield in either hand.
"Why didn't you tell us! Why didn't you use your powers sooner! All those people… you could have saved all those people that day! Nadine… Alex… Juno… all the other's... You should have saved them that day!" It was clear that Vyse was angry at Alicia, for not using her powers sooner. How many could have been saved, if she had just used this power sooner?
Still, Valkyria Alicia didn't move an inch; she just stared into Vyse's angry eyes, with her own, emotionless, unblinking red eyes as Vyse shook her by the shoulders.
"Another Scion to the Valkyrur?" Selvaria asked as she stared at Alicia and the Arcadian boy. "This world has no need for two!" Just then, there was the sound of dozens of machine gun and rifle bolts being cocked back on either side of her, but Selvaria held up her lance, "Back away! I will deal with her, myself!"
And Selvaria charged across the plains, yelling in rage at the unwelcome sight of another Valkyria, this time, on the enemies' side. Once she was within range, she leapt majestically into the sky, bringing her lance back at the same time, hoping to get them both in one powerful, deadly swing of her lance.
Alicia's head turned quickly, up and to the right, spotting Selvaria coming right at them. She brought her shield arm back and hit Vyse right in the chest and stomach with her large, round shield. The blow sent him flying back, just in the nick of time as Selvaria's lance missed both him and Alicia and struck the ground in between them instead. However, Alicia didn't seem to hold anything back when she hit Vyse, because he was still rolling and sliding away from her and Selvaria, eventually falling into a deep blast crater and becoming unconscious from the serious hit by Alicia.
"Holy… did you see that!" Largo asked from the 'side lines' of the battlefield.
Welkin appeared from the Edelweiss hatch, he could no longer see Vyse, but saw Alicia and Selvaria engaged in a battle, unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. Two Valkyria attacking one another, with their lances and shields. They were leaping vast distances through the air, performing acrobatic flips, rolls and twirls. Sometimes firing off beam shots at one another as well.
"Boss! What's happened to Alicia?" Rosie asked as she hid behind the Edelweiss.
"I don't know, but she has the same flame as Selvaria… a Valkyria!"
"You don't mean that… Alicia is also a Valkyria?" Largo asked next.
"Seems like it… but it also seems like she's acting unconsciously, like sleepwalking," Welkin said. "We've already seen what she did to Vyse when he got too close… if we get too close, she might attack us as well… I'd hate to say it, but we're better off watching and keeping our distance for now."
The battle then came to an end, with Alicia proving too strong for Selvaria. She had never fought against another Valkyria before, so like all other opponents she had faced, she charged in and thought she could win the battle through pure, brute strength alone, no real strategy. This had cost her the battle and now she too lay unconscious on the battlefield.
Now, with Selvaria down, Alicia looked down at her, then slowly, her gaze turn to the large, armoured units, both soldier and tank of 'her' enemy, the enemy she was told to destroy, the Imperials.
The Imperial units had already seen the devastation that their former leader, Selvaria, had caused to the Gallian units in previous battles once she let loose in Valkyria form. So they decided to open fire, all of them, tanks, foot soldiers and all others, to try and stop the Gallian Valkyira, before she could react and attack them. Bullets, tank shells, grenades and bombs rained down on Alicia the Valkyria for more than a minute. Once all the firing had stopped, both sides waited to see the result of just what the whole Imperial army bombardment had accomplished.
Smoke and dust was in the air, the Imperial units had stopped firing and throwing projectiles as they waited to see what had happened. The Imperials slowly lowered their machine guns and rifles as they looked on, the tank commanders and officers exited their tank hatches and look on with bare eyes or binoculars at the Gallian Valkyria girl that they had just rained hell upon.
Soon, the smoke was slowly clearing, the dust settling and all was coming back into view. But all was not as the Imperials had hoped, for a single bright blue flame was now coming into view. Soon, a girl, crouching behind a bright, blue shield could be seen. It was the Gallian girl; she had survived the onslaught of shells and bullets without any harm to herself. Much like their own Imperial officer, Selvaria Bles had survived in past battles against armoured units and legions of soldiers in the past.
Now, they had done it, if this Gallian girl could feel anger in her state, she sure showed it. She charged up her lance and fired off a beam aimed at the far right of the Imperial line and dragged her steady, stream of blue energy across the Imperial lines. Cutting yet another large, wide swath of pure destruction and carnage through the Imperial line with great ease. Soldiers were vaporized, tanks obliterated and the ranks of men were beginning to scatter in fear.
Some still loyal to the Emperor and the mission, stood their ground and continued to fire, while other soldiers attempted to flee, sometimes getting caught in the crossfire or explosions from their own men.
Now, 'Alicia' charged into the mass of soldiers and tanks and went on a rampage. Hitting soldiers high into the air with her lance, sending them flying great distances like rag dolls. Striking jeeps and troop transport trucks with her lance and flipping them over or sending them cart wheeling through the mass of soldiers and crushing them underneath all the weight.
The sheer raw physical power that Alicia had at her command now as a Valkyria was frightening enough, but combined with her ability to now fire beams of blue energy was even more so.
All the while, the Gallians looked on in pure amazement; they had never seen the friendly, always smiling Alicia Melchiott like this. This Alicia was on a mission, to wipe out all invaders of her homeland. In the past, for each soldier Alicia killed, she always took the time to kneel next to them and pray and looked like she always regretted having to take a life during a battle.
Not this Alicia though, even injured soldiers, she showed no mercy. Like one that was trying to crawl away, but was stopped as Alicia stepped on his back, then drove her lance straight into his back, killing him, and then kicking his dead body away, just as easily and as high as a soccer ball. This Alicia, unlike her other self, was without mercy, pity or remorse. It was almost as if, it were a doppelganger of the Alicia that everyone from Squad 7 had come to know. Her blue flame, red eyes and white hair only helped to strengthen that image and belief.
Suddenly, Alicia stopped, and all around her, in a very wide 360 degree circle pattern, were dead Imperials soldiers, destroyed tanks and other military vehicles, many still burning. Large columns of black smoke rose high into the air from craters, burning debris and equipment. The rest of the Imperial army was a little less than a kilo meter away and holding position. Some small, scattered groups of Imperials were nearby, hold up inside blast craters or behind destroyed tanks, hiding.
Alicia slowly looked all around her, then up to the sky and just as quickly as it had started, it was over. Alicia dropped her lance and shield, her blue flame died down very quickly and her hair and eye color had returned to normal. She stood on shaky legs for only a few seconds, dropped to her knees, then fell face first into the dirt, unconscious.
"Alicia!" Welkin cried out, he then turned and looked back while yelling, "Medic! Medic!"
Soon, Fina the medic came running, "What happened?" she asked.
"Alicia is passed out! Can you get her back to base for me?"
"Yes, sir!" Fina replied and was just about to set out, when an explosion went off. Fina then stopped as she saw some Imperial tanks approaching in the distance; soldiers were also appearing from blast craters and from behind tanks and other cover from which they were hiding.
Fina had to take cover behind the Edelweiss, "Sorry sir! I don't think I can reach her, not with the Imperial soldiers between us and Alicia!"
"Oh no… we've got to reach her before she's captured or worse!" Welkin ordered and only Squad 7 made a move to try and rescue Alicia, the other squads and soldiers were afraid to even get near her, so they held back, same as the main Imperial army in the distance.
Meanwhile, Selvaria was slowly regaining consciousness. She hurt all over and her head was spinning as she slowly pushed herself up from the ground. A moment later, an Imperial engineer ran up to her and knelt down beside her, followed by 2 shock troopers.
"General Bles! Ma'am, are you alright?" the young Engineer asked.
Selvaria held a hand to her head and groaned, "What happened?" she asked.
"It seems that Gallia now has a Valkyria on their side, and she devastated our forces. We're scattered, it's pretty bad." The engineer explained.
Now it all came back to her and Selvaria clenched her teeth together angrily, "Where is she? I've got to find her!"
"Sorry Ma'am, but I think its best that we pull back. The elite Squad 7 is making their way over here and with so little soldiers between us and them, we should pull back. We can't afford to have you captured or killed."
Now, filled with rage, Selvaria pushed the engineer aside and climbed to her feet. Her body was covered with cuts, scrapes and large, dark bruises. She was extremely unsteady on her feet as she swayed back and forth, one of her shoulders burned and ached, like it was dislocated. But she breathed heavily through her teeth and searched the area, spotting the other Valkyria girl just a short distance away.
Selvaria looked to one of the nearby shock troopers, "You! Get on the radio and recall the forces back, and let it be known that no hand shall touch that Valkyrian girl. She's mine!" Selvaria snarled.
She reached down to her hip with a shaky right hand, it was difficult to move her left arm, her shoulder was dropped and burned, it had to have been dislocated in her fall and roll across the plains of Naggiar after her defeat. Still, she finally managed to draw her rapier, but even this felt like it weighed nearly a hundred pounds in her exhausted and beaten state. She couldn't even raise it; rather she let the tip drag along the ground, behind her slow limping form.
"Believe me, I will kill you!" Selvaria growled softly. "I will not lose my purpose as Lord Maximilian's ultimate weapon!"
At the same time, some ways a way, Vyse Inglebard was slowly sitting up from inside the crater that he had fallen into. He looked over the top of the crater and out into the plains of Naggiar, he himself felt just as exhausted and worn out as Selvaria. He saw a few scattered soldiers firing at the approaching Seven's and just behind them, he saw Selvaria, limping, dragging her sword in her right hand. Her teeth were bared, and she never took her eyes off of whatever it was that she was looking at.
Vyse followed her gaze and saw Alicia, unconscious and alone on the battlefield. Everything came flooding back into his mind and he knew that it must have been her that had caused so much destruction here, on this battlefield. He looked around for other friendly units, but saw that the closest was Squad 7 and what was left of the Imperials on the battlefield were holding them off. They would not get here in time to save Alicia; she was completely vulnerable and could not defend herself. Selvaria would have her revenge if he didn't do something.
Vyse looked around, his machine gun was no where in sight and his sidearm must have also fallen out of its pouch when he was knocked away by Alicia. Upon thinking that, he knew what he had to do.
"She saved me…" Vyse thought, "Had she not knocked me away when she did then…" Vyse then nodded, "Alicia… now it's my turned to save you!"
Fortunately, as soon as he checked, he found his radio still in place on his belt; he took it off and raised it to his lips. "This is Vyse Inglebard to Squad 7, can you hear me?"
The radio then crackled in response before Welkin's voice replied, "Vyse! Where are you, are you alright?"
"I've got Alicia in my sights, less than 100 yards from where I'm positioned, behind the Imperial line." Vyse said, he then sighed loudly, loud enough that Welkin could hear. "Welkin… I'm going for it, I'm going to go save Alicia, do what you can to cover me!"
Welkin replied, "I understand, we'll do the best we can. Please Vyse… you have to save Alicia, if it's the last thing you do, you have to save her!"
"I understand Boss… I swear I will protect her, for you!" Vyse said he then tossed the radio away and drew the only weapon he had, his bayonet blade and held it in a reverse grip; he then got ready to charge out from the crater. He would only have one chance at this, he was running out of time and Selvaria was almost upon Alicia. He took a deep breath and prayed for success, and that the other sevens would be ready to cover him, that he had the strength to make it to Alicia in time and the power to save her from Selvaria.
He took three deep breaths, and then charged out from the crater, running as fast as his legs could carry him. His legs felt like rubber after the severe hit Alicia had given him, but he kept his eyes locked on Selvaria, ignoring the surprised gasps of the nearby Imperial soldiers. They had finally seen a lone, Gallian soldier behind their defensive line, making a direct charge at their commander.
One Imp soldier desperately tried to turn and aim his rifle at Vyse, but was hit in the back by a sniper bullet, delivered by Oscar, one of the three snipers riding on the turret of the Edelweiss and covering Vyse, along with Marina and Emile. They were ignoring the rest of the battle that was going on and keeping a close eye out for any soldiers aiming at Vyse, protecting him as ordered.
Just then, the Imperial engineer standing near Selvaria happened to look over and see a single, Gallian soldier charging at them. "General! We can't stay here!" he warned, this time actually grabbing Selvaria by the shoulder. She responded right away with a slash across his arm with her rapier.
"No! Not until I kill this Valkyrian girl, everything rests upon my killing her, here and now!" Selvaria snarled, like a rabid dog and she continued on.
Now she was standing over Alicia, looking down at her with rage burning in her eyes. She kicked her over, so she was lying on her back now.
"As you wish General…" the engineer said, "I'll serve you till the end…" and he left Selvaria's side and moved to intercept the incoming Gallian soldier. He'd do whatever he could to stop him long enough to allow the General to pierce the Gallian valkyria's heart with her rapier, even if it cost him his life.
He drew his pistol and aimed it at the Gallian soldier, but he did not flinch, even as he aimed down the sights, centered directly over his torso. But before he could fire off a shot, he felt something impact him in the stomach, hard, followed by a hot, burning, piercing sensation. He looked down and saw that he had been shot in the stomach. Painfully, he dropped to one knee and held his stomach, keeling over in pain and that was when he felt a boot plant itself momentarily on his back, then kick off hard.
The Gallian boy had used him almost like a platform, to launch himself high into the air. Vyses legs were then tucked into his chest, in the shape of a ball. At the same time, Selvaria brought her rapier back for a killing thrust, straight through the heart on the downed red and white headscarf wearing girl. But she stopped when she happened to notice something in the corner of her eye. She quickly looked to her left and saw a young boy in the uniform of a Gallian militia soldier, high in the air, coming right at her.
Vyse then crashed down, right on top of Selvaria, knocking her off of Alicia and hard onto her back. The blow stunned her, but once everything came into focus, she saw Vyse, the Arcadian that she had encountered before. He was holding the sharp edge of his bayonet against her throat, his body on top of her own, pinning her to the ground. She could no longer feel her sword handle in her right hand. She managed to look over and saw it on the ground nearby. She made a grab for it, but Vyse planted his foot on top of her wrist, stopping her.
"Unbelievable…" Selvaria said softly. She didn't even have the strength anymore to push Vyse off of herself or to put up any kind of fight, not in her exhausted and beaten state.
"General Bles!" The young engineer cried from the ground, still clutching his stomach wound.
Vyse looked over and saw the small band of Imperials attempting to hold the seven's at bay, looking back at them. "Order them to drop their weapons!" Vyse commanded boldly. Selvaria didn't respond at first, so Vyse pressed the bayonet blade against her throat, cutting slightly into her flesh, she released a slight grunt of pain.
Though she didn't give the command, her soldiers, afraid for her safety and of losing their Valkyria, dropped their weapons and held their hands up. Now the Seven's moved in very quickly, some taking the small band of Imperials prisoner, other's moving in, next to Vyse and securing the young Engineer or crowding around Selvaria and Vyse on the ground together.
Selvaria closed her eyes, "This is it… I could still use 'that' technique to finish it…" she thought to herself.
Moments later, the sound was filled with the other Sevens voices, telling Vyse to finish her off.
"Let's just kill her and be done with it!" Wendy suggested.
"Now's our chance! Kill her now!" Jane added angrily.
"Do it! Kill her! Finish her!" other's added in.
Selvaria then opened her eyes and looked at the Arcadian boy, still holding the blade against her throat. But unlike the other's around her, his eyes did not hold the same anger or thirst for revenge.
"…No…" Vyse finally said. Causing the other's to immediately quiet down or gasp in surprise. "You'd all settle for blood… But I want the fighting to stop…"
He then looked down at Selvaria, "Order your forces to pull back. Leave this battlefield and I shall spare your life."
"I cannot fail his grace… my lord Maximilian…" Selvaria said weakly.
Vyse could tell by the way she said 'My lord Maximilian' that she must have felt something deeper for him, more than just following orders, like any other officer. He decided to use this to his advantage.
"If you are as close to Maximilian as I think you are, then go to him and tell him what you have discovered here today. That Gallia herself now possesses a Valkyria… maybe even more powerful than you." Vyse suggested, hoping to end this peacefully. "I'm sure that he'll want to hear this from you, his own Valkyria. I know he will, so go, tell him yourself… please."
Selvaria thought for a moment, and then nodded her head. Vyse slowly got off of her, Aisha and Edy Nelson helping him to steady himself on his shaky legs by holding onto an arm each.
Selvaria slowly sat up, holding her injured shoulder and looked to her engineer and shock troopers, "Contact our forces… tell them to pull back. We're leaving Naggiar and pulling back to the East…"
All of her soldiers held their heads low, but nodded or saluted and set about to deliver these new orders. One shock trooper got on the radio and told the main army about Selvaria's new orders and in the distance, plumes of dust began to raise high into the air as the tanks and trucks began to pull back. Quick, loud rhythmic thumping could be heard as all of the foot soldiers began to retreat alongside the tanks and vehicles.
Soon, a long, white stretcher was brought to Selvaria's side and she was helped by two shock troopers into the stretcher. Carefully, her stretcher was then lifted up off the ground. All of the seven's still held onto their weapons, tightly, as they let go of their prisoners, the brave soldiers who stayed with Selvaria, while the rest of the main army had retreated.
They too then began to follow the main army, heading Eastward, away from Naggiar. However, Vyse Inglebard was walking alongside the stretcher, strangely enough, he was holding onto one of Selvaria's hands as he walked next to her. The other sevens didn't follow and looked on.
"You showed a mercy that no one else would have…" Selvaria said softly.
Vyse shook his head, "No… I showed you the same mercy that you showed me, a few days earlier. You could have easily killed me during our last encounter, but you didn't... A life for a life."
"An honourable move… I will tell my Lord Maximilian about what we have encountered here today, but I do not think it will change his plans in the slightest," Selvaria said. "Furthermore… once I have recovered, I do believe that we will meet once again, on the field of battle."
"I see… then until that time, go in peace… Selvaria Bles," said Vyse, letting go of her hand, stopping in his tracks and giving her a respectful salute, holding it in place even as she got further and further away.
It was only then, that he noticed the loud, joyous cheering from behind him. Both armies, Regular and Militia were cheering loudly as they watched the Imperials leaving the plains of Naggiar in defeat.
He could also hear the happy chanting of "GALLIA! GALLIA! GALLIA!" over and over again by all of the soldiers, Regular and Militia. It was hard for him to believe, but, the Battle of Naggiar was over… they had won. Overcome with emotion, Vyse dropped to his knees, lowered his head and held his hands against the sides of his head and wept.
Soon he felt numerous hands rest upon his shoulders and back, he looked back with teary red eyes and saw nearly all of the seven's gathered around him in a semi-circle.
He saw Aisha, looking very worried, "What's wrong Mr. Inglebard?" Aisha asked. "We did it… we won… so why do you look so sad?"
"If you're worried about letting that Valkyrian woman go, then don't worry about it." Edy Nelson added. "Letting her go proved that we are capable of great mercy… even to her."
Susie Evans nodded, "It was a wonderful and kind thing to do Vyse…"
More tears fell from Vyse's eyes as he slowly shook his head, "Oh Aisha… Edy… Susie… thank you, thank you…" cried Vyse. "It's not all that… it's something much more…"
"Hmm?" everyone said at once.
"It's because… we did it…" sobbed Vyse. "We all made it… I didn't… screw up this time… You're all alive… all of the Sevens… are alive! I didn't get anyone killed this time…"
Now it was clear to everyone else. It wasn't the victory or the mercy that he had showed that caused him so much tears. It was because everyone had made it through the final battle of Naggiar together, no one had died during the battle this time. Their lives meant much more to Vyse than the actual victory that day.
Now that they knew, many of the female squad members were also getting choked up, teary eyed or were touched deeply by Vyse's sentiment. Aisha knelt down and wrapped her arms around Vyse's neck and hugged him, she too was now crying. "Oh Mr. Inglebard! You're such a nice boy!"
Edy Nelson was gritting her teeth together, fighting back tears and trying to hold a grin at the same time, "Boy… you're something else, Vyse."
"What's wrong with your eyes Miss Edy?" Homer asked curiously.
Edy held a hand against the side of her face, "Nothing… what's wrong with your face Homer?" Edy asked.
"Huh…" Homer asked, touching his cheeks and face quickly, "Nothing… Why-*Thwack!*" he was then punched hard in the cheek by Edy Nelson, sending him to the ground. This caused many chuckles from the other seven's; even Vyse couldn't help but grin and chuckle a little bit.
However, their laughed was cut short by an angry sounding man yelling, "Where the hell is he!" Damon's voice screamed. Causing the other's to gasp and turn, seeing Damon making his way through the crowd.
Vyse slowly moved Aisha away from him and stood up, "Oh yeah… I forgot about him," said Vyse.
He was getting closer, but the other Sevens turned to Vyse, "Why? What happened?" Jane Turner asked.
Vyse rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, "Well, before we came here, I sort of… punched him out and left him in the dust and dirt back at the main encampment."
Everyone gasped at the same time, some then smiled or chuckled.
"Lucky!" Jane teased.
"Thatta boy!" Wendy added with a signature grin and snicker.
The other sevens then parted ways, to allow General Damon through, "You!" General Damon yelled while pointing his index finger at Vyse. "How dare you! To me! A General!"
Damon then looked back, "Soldiers! Arrest this boy! He's under arrest for assaulting a superior officer!"
There was a moment of pause, before Damon yelled, "Arrest him! Take him~!"
Just then, Captain Varrot positioned herself between Vyse and General Damon, "No! I will not let you take Sergeant Inglebard into custody, I will not allow it!"
"Do not get in my way Varrot!" General Damon snarled. "There's no way in hell I'm going to allow him to go unpunished for this treachery!"
Captain Varrot slowly shook her head, "No! I'm not moving!" she said defiantly. As soon as she had finished that sentence, all of the Seven's gathered on either side of her, forming a line, protecting Vyse as they all glared at General Damon.
"I want you all to understand this!" Damon roared. "If you do this, if you try and stop me, I'll have you all arrested and charged with insubordination, maybe even treason."
"You can charge us with whatever you'd like… I'm not going to let you harm Vyse Inglebard." Captain Varrot challenged.
Suddenly, Princess Cordelia herself stepped in front of both groups, "Please General, we've been through enough today, all of us. I think we should all forget about what happened earlier and celebrate this glorious victory that we've managed to accomplish, victory, despite the enormous amount of odds that we have faced today."
General Damon smiled, "Sorry Princess, but I do not think that there is even anything that you can do here," Damon laughed. "This young man here… is a foreigner! He's not even a Gallian, nor from Europa herself. This means that not even you, as Princess of Gallia can protect this foreign boy. He should have never been allowed to serve in our military, not even in the Militia!"
There were lots of hushed, worried whispers and murmur going on throughout the Sevens and the rest of the Army and Militia.
Princess Cordelia thought for a moment with her hand against her chin, "You're right… my powers do not reach far enough to protect this boy, from across the sea…"
General Damon nodded, "I knew it! Now! Men! Obey me for once and arrest him immediately!"
A group of regulars began to make their way towards Vyse, cocking back their rifles and machine guns. The sevens all got ready to defend Vyse. But before either side could act, Princess Cordelia held up her hand, everyone stopped as ordered. She then turned to Damon and gave him a glare, something unusual for the always calm and serene Princess Cordelia.
"What are you doing?" Damon asked, fists shaking in anger.
"Something I should have done a long time ago…" Princess Cordelia said. She turned to one of her officers dressed in white. "Your sword… give me your sword."
The officer obeyed immediately and drew his sword, then handed it to Princess Cordelia handle first. She took it, turned to Damon for a moment and glared at him. She then turned on her heels and faced Vyse Inglebard.
"Take a knee, Mr. Inglebard." she ordered with a smile.
Vyse nodded, dropped to one knee and held his head down. That was when he felt the tip of the sword that Cordelia held tap one of his shoulders, then move over his head in an arc and tap his other shoulder.
"Mr. Vyse Inglebard… for all of your selfless actions… and many sacrifices that you have had to make in order to be here with us today. For your undying and steadfast loyalty to our small nation of Gallia… For your respect for the rights and beliefs of all the people, religions and races of Gallia. I. Princess Cordelia, hereby make you an honorary citizen of Gallia. Your status, along with all of the rights and privilages, are now equal to that of any Gallian born here."
Now, everyone gasped. All of the Sevens, General Damon and the Militia and Regular soldiers.
"Rise, Mr. Inglebard," Cordelia commanded. Vyse did just that, climbing to his feet and looking at Princess Cordelia with grateful eyes. She smiled back and patted him on the shoulder, then turned to General Damon. "There you have it. Mr. Vyse Inglebard now has full citizen status in our nation of Gallia, equal to you or me.
General Damon was speechless for a few moments as he stared at Princess Cordelia, then at Vyse before stuttering, "B-b-but y-y-you can't do that!"
"I just did," Princess Cordelia responded. "I am sure that you know what this means. It means Mr. Inglebard, as a citizen of Gallia, is now under my protection, the highest one can get. Now, neither you nor any of your subordinates or anyone else shall raise one hand or finger against him. Do you understand?"
She then stepped closer and moved her mouth near Damons' ear and whispered, "Shall I also let these brave militia soldiers know what you had planned for them? How you planned to abandon them all? I'm sure they would like to hear it."
Now, General Damon backed down and slowly backed away, bowing low to Princess Cordelia as he did. Princess Cordelia then turned and returned to Vyse.
"This gift, was not given freely, it was already more than earned by you, Vyse Inglebard. I just made it official." Cordelia said. "You came here from a far off land, but choose, almost immediately to take up arms against our enemies and to defend this land. You have shown such admirable respect to all Gallians, Darcsen and other and treated both with equal respect, kindness and consideration.
You've already won, a brilliant reputation, here in the Gallian Militia. You have more than earned the rank which you so rightfully deserve. You've already gained a proud position among my people, for all of your noble deeds and actions in the past.
Now, as a citizen of Gallia, I know that I will hear of still nobler deeds, performed by both you and all of the members of Squad 7, here in our Second War against the Empire."
Cordelia then sheathed the long, slightly curved, shiny sword back into its white, decorative holder or scabbard, then held it out to Vyse Inglebard with two hands. "I heard that your sword was broken in an earlier battle against General Bles. Allow me to replace it," Cordelia said. "Take this with you, into your next battles… for your homeland of Gallia."
Vyse smiled brightly, took the sword from Princess Cordelia and looked down at it. His hand moved along the white and gold scabbard, towards the leather-wrapped handle. His fingers ran across the highly polished gold hand guard, the slowly wrapped around the handle. He looked at Princess Cordelia, she smiled and nodded.
Swiftly, Vyse drew the sword and admired the incredible detail of the decorated blade, the sharpness of the sword and its overall length.
Already, the Seven's were cheering, but once Vyse turned to them and raised his sword high into the air and yelled with them, they cheered far louder, harder and more joyously.
A few hours later, both armies, Regular and Militia were heading back to the main encampment. Other's, like Squad 7 were heading back to Randgriz, acting as Princess Cordelia's royal escort, back to the Capital and her castle.
But Vyse walked off to the side of the road and knelt down on one knee. In his hand, was the farewell letter that he had written both to his family and to Aika. With the battle over, there was no need to deliver it now, so he quickly ripped it up, and then opened both palms, letting the pieces drift away with the wind.
He sighed, "We did it Aika… we've won the battle, but the war still needs to be won. I do not know when it will end, so it looks like we'll have to wait a little longer, before we meet again.
I know now, with the help of the Seven's, I will make it through this war… we all will. So, my dear Aika… I will see you later on…" Vyse was about to get up, but a new thought came into his mind, which made him smile brightly. "No… I'll see you when I come home… to Arcadia and to you…"
Greetings readers, SORRY for the extremely long delay between chapters... so many months :*( I've just been busy and doing other things in my spare time. Doesn't help now that I have a PSP and can play Valkyria Chronicles 2 in my spare time, once I get my hands on it. So I decided, before I get the game, I'm going to update this story.
Truth be told, I was hoping to get this done by Christmas Eve or Christmas day, as a gift to ya'll for reading :) But kept getting side tracked, so here it is, a late gift I suppose :P Enjoy, Read and Review please :)
P.S. I know Vyse's popularity seems impossible now, almost like a Mary Sue or Mary Lue, but it'll go back to 'normal' for the next few chapters. Pluse, I have something cooked up for ya'll, a surprise. A member will return to the squad, healed and ready to join in the fight. And... it won't be Aika! Happy Holidays and Happy reading.
P.P.S: now that this is done and out of the way, I'm going to read "Lone Wolf" "Wolf Spider" and afew other's that I've always wanted to read. With this new chapter out of the way I can dedicate time to reading and not writing. Look for my review in the next few days guys :)
