Chapter 3: Mission End, Adventure Begins

Jedd felt the chill as he walked briskly through the village.  "The distance must be around half the Quarters back home," he estimated as he remembered fondly that he would always reach the top of the cliff first because he was nearest to the scenic spot. He had reached the wide gate at the end of the village as he wiped away his grin and shook of the amusing thought. "Must concentrate!" he said and took deep breaths. The atmosphere near the gate became freezing cold of the sudden.

"Here," a warm metallic object was hurled into his hands as someone came towards him.

"Thanks," he muttered back, trying to keep his chattering. He opened up the warm drink and inhaled the heat, exhaling a puff of smoke. Tanya had her arms crossed, her E-gun in hand. "Whoa, the classic model! Nice choice!" he approved of her weapon. She grinned since she too felt the cold.

"What bullets d'ya have?"

"Um… 2 F1s, 5 W4s and some extra ordinary bullets."

"Great! At least we would have something to flare up if we're in danger or anything. F1s are quite handy to these atmospheres."

"Of course, always a girl scout at heart," she mockingly posed in a know-it-all way. Jedd laughed softly and shivered. The cold was just getting to him. The hairs in his back sensed something a bit wrong by its chill. He shunned himself to everything and listened carefully and leaned on the gate. Ruffling of grass. Footsteps. Thuds quite heavy. Boots perhaps? Or someone overweight? Another set of footsteps, though it was hitting the ground. Some footwear with metallic set-ups as the tinkling and heavy crunching of it was heard in every step.  Then came the hard part, the conversation. The one that had heavy steps spoke normally, but the other spoke in a strange tongue that it was kind of muffled or slurred. He just had to listen to the former he supposed. The latter spoke first, in a tone that was unsure and kept on pausing and shifting his steps.

"Kapitan, meron ho yatang nakapansin sa ating tagong salakay…"though his voice hesitant, the language he spoke was hard and edgy.  The other then replied.

"What do you mean that they're "hinted" of the plan? No one could've known this operation! No one even enters that no good village except for those robotic things!"

"Nahahalata ho kasi ng ibang mamamayan na madalas mag lakbay sa labas ng kanilang baryo ang ating mga kilos," the other hesitantly replied to the captain.  

"I mean, yes, suspicions were sniffed here and there, but we planned it out carefully to make them LOOK as though they were just coincidences. Remember, you helped planting some fake evidence whatever at the west of the village forest," he frantically replied, his voice a bit hazy. He must've come from a drinking session.

"Baka mayroong ho isa sa atin nagtaksil at nagsabi…" The uneasy one mumbled some more, his volume going down to his last word, which had made the other go like an atomic bomb.

"WHAT?! SOMEONE MUST'VE LEAKED OUT??! I CAN'T… WHAT THE…" he shouted and cursed badly that it made Jedd had time to think. He then realized that Korran was leaning too for information.  The enraged one seemed to cool-off a bit now.

"Well, at least they're sources are half-damaged and their energy are down 10 percent. That way, their weapons won't do much to ours. Better send our Boss that we're ready. She's been dying to get this goin'!"

"Stupid head!" Jedd smirked at his slip that was a foot away from the village grounds.

"Oh and Colonel G, inform your troops to attack at the West and South of the village. Change and approved by the Boss. Get your fire archers ready. I'd better run to the Freeze Cannons, their bullets are lying here and already melting!" he ran off as he scolded mentally the other troops, preparing for battle.

"Jedd, wait up! Jedd! JEDD! JEDD!!!" Korran followed Jedd as much as she could as they ran towards Claude's base.

"You'd better shut up so you won't lose your breath!" he shouted back. He was known to get cranky when things got serious. He then saw them both just idly standing there, both in deep meditation.

"GUYS!!! Army-ready! Battle-about-begin!" he chopped off words from exhaustion and quickening heartbeat. Claude stared at him, saying that he wanted some information.

"Eavesdropped-guys-about-attack. Boss-girl-armies-Fire Archers-Freeze Cannons-west-south-slipped-begin-NOW!!!" he shoved Claude to the armies as he chopped off the whole story. Tanya had to stop him and let him breathe for a while. Claude signaled Tanya to stop and nodded at Jedd. He looked back at Tanya and she came to him.

"Lead your civilians to the secret passage at the mayor's office. We'll signal the alarm, and the villagers know exactly to do so we won't have much trouble to find panicking people. Meet us back to the end where our train should be waiting," she explained and they both ran off.

Jedd and Korran grouped all their civilians at the east square of the village that was near to the mayor's office. Small dancing flames crackled at the mountain range as what the Enpros feared that they were too late. Jedd readied his weapon and led the civilians inside the passage. He just prayed that everyone would make it safely, or else he'd make them pay to whatever they'd do to any of the people he was protecting. Korran held his tense arm that was tightening a chain whip that was connected to 2 metal discs. She gave a smile of reassurance. Jedd just wanted to melt and stop all the havoc. Sometimes Korran was all nice and cute in a girly way, then suddenly turns into that Perfect Student that snobs everyone and gets annoyed due to slight irritation.

"No time, later!" he screamed inwardly and made a head count of the villagers. 

"Do any of you have missing number of families out there?" he shouted to the crowd just to make sure. No one replied. He nodded to Korran and she led them to the passageway. As the last civilian went through, they followed. General Wolf cleared his throat as he revealed his presence in the Mayor's office. Korran and Jedd froze; maybe he would have some last-minute rounds of the village. The grounds shook and alarming thuds were heard outside the office. The civilians made it on time. Fire blazed and danced its fierce rhythm through the streets, and some hurling gigantic snowballs crashed down a few structures around them.  

"Go ahead now, protect the civilians," he simply ordered. Korran ran ahead, shifting some bullets in her E-gun. Jedd was about to follow when the General stopped him in the shoulder.

"Good Work, you'll grown up to be an excellent soldier," he grinned. Somehow it gave a Jedd that was the last time he'll ever see him.

@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@

Tanya

After minutes Claude and me separated with Jedd and Korran, we finally rounded off every civilian of our group and anyone who was left behind by the first batch. It took a while for the people to enter the said office since everyone was crowding inside that shiny wooden door. I couldn't know for sure if it was due to fear that the attack was already starting and panic struck them easily, or something was wrong inside. Somehow, it eased and we were able to go in. Everything was quiet now, the attacks stopped in a crescendo way, slowly dying down with the last and least effective weapons. That strategy always gave me the chills in my past missions. You're not sure of they ran out of their weapons or waiting for the moment to drop off their greatest bomb. I was absentmindedly about to go the passageway when Claude yanked me back. I jolted and gave him a look. He rarely does such things only when things were important. Yeah, the typical lone wolf guy. I followed him to the part where the office was at its coldest. I felt a strong grim presence at that corner.

"Look down."

I did and I couldn't say anything. My eyes were about to bulge out. I covered my mouth so I wouldn't make much noise. Lying down was a man. In his long trench coat of forest green and pinned with shiny medals, General Wolf was the only recognized figure in the village with such position. Two bullets dug deep into his chest and abdomen, his head distorted by being whacked with a heavy object. His face, pale and bluish at the lost of circulation of blood, yet his lips were at a crescent of a smile.

Had he known he was going to die? Was he happy about this?

I ruffled his hair and touched the contours of his face. Flawless of age. He was young.  Goals achieved at the prime of his youth now all gone. Now only in faint memories will he ever live. Claude looked for his handkerchief, neatly folded in his pants. It's part of the etiquette if I remember correctly. Yes… it is.

It is to give honor to the dead by masking his face.  We both bowed our heads and gave our respects. May it be a religion or our etiquette, it was the only thing we could do now. Claude went near the body again and looked closely at the general's hand. It held a golden ring and had tints of blood beneath the carved symbol.  Claude stood up and pocketed the object. He then moved towards the passageway, and I followed. 

These things haunt me. Who says a soldier is brave and courageous? They only swallow their fears and rage against whatever looms of their victory…

A/n: Was that short? For me it is. Sorry for lack of description, I'll try my best to improve the battle scenes. Do any of you notice that there was something missing there? And do you know the language? *grins * Mwehehe… I'm saying hi to all those who notice their own native language! Okie, hi to all my author friends too! Nemesis, aya_yahiko, suzu, kyoy and to everyone else! *huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs*!!!