Chapter 24: Fall of Letzenbourg II: True Saint
40 years after the Great War
Londinium
The pro-imperial faction had a great deal of success in the early stages of the Letzenbourg uprising. Imperial Agents took over the radio station and broadcast recordings made by the young prince Wilhelm, who most scholars agree was safe in Berlun, despite the fanciful stories of him being the so-called 'Saint'.
These broadcasts had a huge effect on the local populace, in what is considered to be one of the first wide scale implementations of psychological warfare. It did, however, have an unexpected drawback.
It is widely known that forces in the city suffered communication problems. Historians believe the cause was actually these broadcasts, as the civil radio station used the same frequency as the military and was supposed to be shut off in times of war.
This blunder meant that reinforcements were never summoned, and the Republic moved in unopposed. – Andrew WTN special correspondent.
May 5th Unified Year 1925 05:00
Front room of the Majerus family home, Letzenbourg city
'War is the continuation of politics,' that's what some military theorist had said somewhere anyway, he couldn't remember who. Originally it had meant that if you can't get what you want by political means, you should march in and take it with an army, but eventually, the idea evolved to mean that military force should be applied with a clear political goal in mind. At face value, this made complete logical sense, but it never quite sat right in Will's mind as a factual statement. It failed to take into consideration the people that actually did the fighting or their personal reasons for doing so.
After all, war was fought by soldiers and they aren't usually the politicians deciding to start a war. Sure, there were the Generals and sometimes a soldier could rise through the ranks and gain some power over the governing of their country, but most would not be changing the world. Those who started the war would be hoping for territorial gains and hefty reparations from their defeated foe, along with the international equivalent of bragging rights. While the man holding the rifle was fighting for the idea that he is protecting his homeland, ultimately, he wouldn't care what land got grabbed, as long as it wasn't his.
Will was a rare exception, although he would be the first to admit his position was an anomaly. He was a political figure by virtue of his supposed birth, but otherworldly interference had forced him to become a front-line soldier as well, so he felt like he got to see both sides of the coin. If not for his curse he wouldn't have considered ever fighting at all, but his unique position had made him believe that the political reasons were just excuses. What happened in politics was a reflection of the mob mentality that made up the nation's psyche, what drove people to fight were the primal instincts, desires, and emotions handed down to them since time immemorial, fear and anger especially.
Sure, a good orator could stir up the feelings of the crowd and impose the political will back on the people, but there was no smoke without fire, you can't incite a feeling that didn't exist in the first place. If war was a continuation of anything, it was human nature.
He believed that it was because of this, war never seemed to be used as a last resort as it was supposed to be, these emotions drive you to remove what you fear and despise, and violence achieves this quickly. That was what had started the Great War in the first place, everyone had feared the growing power that was the Empire.
The Legadonians had been so fearful they had whipped their people into a frenzy and foolishly attacked, they felt like a cornered animal and reacted accordingly. It didn't matter that the Empire had no interest in war with the Entente, once their economy began to fail, fear drowned out the rational voices and the Empire was blamed as the evil responsible. The argument about disputed territory was just an excuse, if it hadn't existed there would be some other justification, fear made the war inevitable.
It was also fear that made the Republic attack the Empire while it's back was turned, they were so terrified their neighbour would become the dominant power they moved to intervene. The Allied Kingdom had so far staved off this fear, they felt protected by the sea and they could sit back and let their rivals do the work. The longer the war dragged on, however, the more worried they would become and eventually, they'd lash out too. It was all so painfully obvious that it was going to happen, Will wondered how nobody else saw it coming, it wasn't as if he hadn't warned them.
Calling war politics made it seem almost reasonable, but Will didn't think he'd ever met anyone who could be considered totally reasonable in any of his lifetimes. Another familiar saying came to mind, 'Reason commands humans to be peaceful,' Again he couldn't place its origin, but he supposed it didn't really matter. If it were true, there would be no war. That the continent was embroiled in the bloodiest conflict that the world had ever seen just proved that people were anything but reasonable.
It was usually correct to say that soldiers were a political tool, politicians sent soldiers to kill each other to gain a political advantage, but it wasn't often anyone with any political influence did any of the actual fighting, at least Will could claim some moral high ground on that point. The trouble was the reasons used for war were usually stupid and ultimately quite pointless things, he was sure if they tried a little harder, those things could be settled without bloodshed. Was there really any point in fighting over a bit of land that belonged to your country a hundred years ago? Was it worth dying for? Was it worth killing for? As far as Will was concerned, nothing was worth dying for, and survival was the only thing really worth killing for.
His coup against the Regent was one of those stupid things, he had never wanted to use force like this, he would have preferred hiding out with the 203rd for a while longer and let the man continue to turn the people against himself. Meanwhile, he would quietly deal with the curse that threatened his continued existence, and as an added bonus gain a reputation as a war hero. The people of Letzenbourg would demand the removal of Ludwig and Will would be able to achieve his dreams of the easy and comfortable life he deserved.
Vice Admiral Canaris of the Imperial Supreme High command had disagreed however, he wanted a quicker solution to bring Letzenbourg closer to the Imperial bosom. The spymaster had been pressuring him to act ever since he'd started creating the volunteer mage wing. Although uncomfortable about it, Will couldn't risk losing the support and goodwill of the high command, even with his links to the Emperor, it could jeopardize his dream. So, he had been forced to act the Jingo and start stirring up an eventual uprising against Ludwig.
He told himself, it was about survival, it was about getting rid of the cruel Regent who had spent all his time trying to poison him. Canaris was always supplying him with some information about a potential plot, so it seemed better to act sooner rather than later. When the food supply at the HQ had been compromised, he knew it had been the right decision, even if Sophia couldn't find proof of Ludwig's involvement.
As a civil war, you'd be forgiven for assuming that it was entirely built around the political question of who should be in charge, at least in name. However, his motivation for war was fear, it always had been. True there may have been some aspects of politics that had forced him to act, but ultimately the primal emotion of fear that had driven him to this point. It was the fear of not paying his reapers due to what Tanya called Being X, the fear that Ludwig would try to kill him, and most of all, the fear that he would never get to enjoy the life he knew he deserved. Perhaps that made him a coward, but he could live with that.
He wished he could remember who had said the quote about war and politics originally, he was certain he'd read it somewhere, but he couldn't quite place it right now. The particular brain cell that held that information had probably been damaged judging by the painful headache and ringing ears he was now suffering from. He was, however, certain of one thing, usually, in politics, you don't get smashed through a brick building by the force of an explosion. It was also unusual for most politicians to find themselves half-buried under rubble, with what he suspected was a concussion, a shattered arm, at least one broken rib and who knows what internal injuries. This led him to strongly suspect that the author of that quote had never been on the receiving end of an explosive formula from a mage.
He was also completely certain that they had never been stupid enough to point a gun at Major Tanya von Degurechaff. He almost wanted to laugh out loud at how badly he'd misread the situation, he'd been sure that she was going to turn on him, and ended up panicking and threatening her. Ironically this had resulted in her actually turning on him, it was a self-fulfilling prophecy of his own construction.
After snapping his arm like a twig, she explained that she never intended to sell him out, she'd somehow got the idea that he was up to something else and wanted no part of it. Did you think I was aiming to become Emperor or something? He thought to himself with a chuckle before gasping in pain. He'd been so relieved, the guilt he felt about placing her in a situation where he'd have to kill her had been tearing him apart. News that he hadn't needed to worry about it was fantastic! Obviously, she'd been upset, and he probably deserved some of the beating she'd given him, but she did seem to take a little too much enjoyment in inflicting pain on him, war had turned her into quite the sadist.
Then it had turned sour, she'd been even more furious when she'd heard he'd blown up the HQ to get rid of the box. She had pointed her pistol at him, and towards the end, he'd almost been certain she would actually pull the trigger. He didn't understand why she should be so angry, it was his house and probably one of the few places he had any particularly happy memories of in this life. He'd sacrificed more than her for that thing. Why were you so upset that you'd consider shooting me?
Pain can bring a certain strange kind of clarity, it helps you see your mistakes in a new light at least. The answers began lining themselves up quickly in his aching brain as he puzzled on the issue. Or perhaps it happened slowly, it was difficult to gauge how much time had passed in his current state. She was upset about not having the box, but why? The only reason he could think of was that she'd lost her leverage over him, was she afraid he would act against her without the paper shield? Of course, he had no intention of doing that, but understandably the gunplay had somewhat eroded any trust she had in him. She must have been forced to act to protect herself, just as he had.
Despite that, for some reason he'd pushed her away from the blast rather than get himself out of the way, he'd barely had enough time to throw up any kind of protection for himself and even those barriers had failed quickly. His active barrier had shattered almost instantly, but at least it had done the job of protecting him from most of the initial detonation and flames. His passive barrier must have collapsed as he hit the wall, the bulk of his injuries were probably from that.
He managed to raise his head and open his eyes, his vision was blurred but he could make out the building where he and Tanya had been. Or rather he could make out the space which it had previously occupied, he'd been thrown straight across the wide boulevard and through the wall of the house opposite, all that was left was a burning pile of rubble. He was lucky to be alive, although, with the amount of pain he was in, he didn't feel especially lucky. If he hadn't been a mage, he would have either been a pile of ash on the building opposite or a greasy red smear on the wall he'd been smashed through.
She was going to shoot you, and you decide to push her clear instead of saving yourself. What the hell were you thinking? He chastised himself through the painful haze in his mind. The truth was he hadn't been thinking, he'd reacted on instinct when he'd shoved her out the way. Despite the beating she'd given him, it seemed something in his subconscious had wanted to save her. He must have gone soft, maybe he'd taken his hero of Letzenbourg act too far, he'd even managed to convince his own inner self with all the hype. Let's try to avoid heroic self-sacrifice in the future He grinned to himself despite the pain.
It was funny, he'd been considering killing her for what she knew about him, but it was obvious now he could never have gone through with it. Even after she'd broken his wrist and pointed a gun against his head, his first instinct was to get her out of danger, he still wanted to see her succeed, and that was why he couldn't shoot her. Pain shot through his side as he laughed at himself, when did I become so fond of you Degurechaff? When did your success become another condition of my paradise?
She shouldn't have been worried about him using his influence or Sophia's talents to attack her though. He didn't think it was possible anymore without damaging his own reputation, not that he wanted to anyway. To think the silly rumours made by the 203rd were being taken so literally, he hadn't even realised they had spread so far. Not only did the general public in Letzenbourg seem to believe they were a couple, but he'd also had a letter from a friend in the Imperial court about it, the rumours had spread to Berlun! Apparently, there were some concerns about her low birth, but her accomplishments meant most thought the Emperor would approve of an eventual match. They were taking the whole thing seriously! They did realise they were both well below the minimum age for marriage, right?
Marriage to Tanya von Degurechaff, what a terrifying thought, He shuddered eliciting another burst of pain from his side.
All this meant he couldn't act against her, at least not until those rumours had petered out. If he said or did anything to her publicly, it'd either be labelled a lover's tiff or he'd be branded a brute. If he acted against her in secret, he'd be expected to publicly come to her rescue, if he didn't his public image would be ruined. If he'd actually shot her, he would have needed to hide his involvement and go into a period of mourning to save face, if his involvement had been discovered he'd be done for. It had taken time to build an image and reputation that he could use to his advantage, to act against her in any way would risk destroying it in an instant.
He looked up again, trying to find some sign of her, she had likely been thrown in the other direction. He had shoved her hard enough that she should have sustained fewer injuries than him, but she still would have been forced away by the explosion. He couldn't see her, he wondered if she would come back or if she'd just leave him here? No doubt she would still be angry with him, she probably thought she'd be better off leaving him to die. That was understandable after what had happened, but he would have to disappoint her for the moment at least.
He began dragging himself out of the rubble with his good arm, while his body erupted with pain in protest of moving. He couldn't move his left arm at all, not only had Tanya broken the wrist but the impact with the wall had broken something else, he would have to struggle along with one hand for the moment. He must have been bleeding somewhere, as he left a small trail of red ichor as he crawled through the hole that he had created on his way in. He heard the house creak slightly around him, and for a horrifying moment, he thought the rest of the building would collapse on top of him. Fortunately, he was spared such a fate for now, but the injection of fear shot some more adrenaline into his system and he managed to drag himself out a little quicker.
Once clear he rolled on to his back and stared up at the sky, he could see the tell-tale signs of mage combat flashing in the darkness. The enemy must have gotten their act together and launched a counterattack with their mages as a vanguard. Idiot's, didn't they realise that they'd already lost? He thought. His forces had already taken or neutralised almost all the key positions in the city, the only reason the enemy hadn't been driven out was that the Imperial's hadn't shown up yet. Their assault was pointless, more proof that people aren't reasonable, hurry up and surrender already!
It was annoying but not really surprising, after all, they were captive to the emotions and human nature that drive people to war too. They were scared of change, angered by their aggressor and vengeful due to the humiliation of loss. You needed to completely break someone to get them to truly surrender. How many people did you have to break to defeat an army? How many more for a country?
Tanya was probably up there he realised, as his eyes strained to make out the mages duking it out. She was nothing if not pragmatic, she'd deal with the enemy before coming to see if he had survived or not. Tanya always liked doing her job properly, she would come and confirm his body if she could. What would she do if she found him alive? It was entirely possible she'd decide to finish him off herself.
"It looks like I'll have to beg you for mercy," He smiled at the flashing lights in the sky. "I probably look pretty pathetic right now anyway, maybe you'll decide I'm not worth the bullet," He finished wondering if he had the energy to even get to his knees to grovel properly.
Then again, she could put you down like a lame horse, A dark voice echoed in his head. No, even she wasn't quite that cruel, was she? Once she realised, he couldn't do anything to her without ruining his own reputation she'd feel less threatened. She'd probably still blame him for the rumours though, he'd have to be ready for another blow to the groin, well I wasn't planning on having children any way He thought to himself. It'd take time to get her to trust him again, but he was sure he could do it, until then he would have to give in to anything she wanted. It wasn't as if he could put up much of a fight right now anyway.
Will didn't want to think about any of that for the moment, he felt sick and tired, he just wanted to go to sleep. Were you supposed to stay awake if you thought you had a concussion? He couldn't remember, it probably doesn't matter anyway, maybe it's time to give up, He thought as he felt exhaustion begin to swallow him. He felt a strangely familiar sensation, it felt like he was slipping away from himself piece by piece.
He jerked awake suddenly, pain and fear reviving him as it chased away some of the fuzz from his mind. It had felt just like that time when the monster began removing him from existence when he was almost no more.
NO! I've worked too hard! He thought at what Tanya called Being X I'll get what I deserve, and I'll share it with them all! Even Tanya! Christina will be a doctor, Sophia will be my prime minister and Hausmann will… The thought trailed off in his mind as he remembered the figure of his subordinate, no, his friend falling from the sky and smashing into the ground.
"Dietrich" He whispered before using the extra energy supplied by the adrenaline flowing through him due to his previous thoughts to roll back over and push himself to his knees.
He needed to find Hausmann, he needed to make sure the man got his quiet life and that he'd see his son graduate from a top school, just as he'd wanted. Will had promised him it would happen, the world didn't reward people and neither did God, but Wilhelm Viktor von Hozollern would reward those who helped him, it was part of his paradise, it was part of the happiness he deserved.
His vision had begun to clear, and he searched around for his fallen comrade, he would be alive, Will would get them both help and they'd get out of here before that monster could take either of them. He made out a figure lying still in the street and crawled over to him trying to call out to him. He still felt sick and dizzy and his throat was dry and full of brick dust but he carried on crawling despite it.
As he got closer, he could see it really was Hausmann, he lay on the ground in a twisted and uncomfortable position completely unmoving, and around him was a pool of slowly drying blood. He reached the body and began to shake him and call his name in the vain attempt to rouse him.
Dietrich Hausmann lay with his eyes open and completely devoid of any signs of life, his skin had begun turning a waxy grey colour and the back of his skull was open with a dark red wound.
Will felt angry tears form at the edges of his eyes, how could this have happened? Hausmann was a strong mage and a good soldier, there was no way he could be taken out so quickly and if he was under threat he knew to fall back. Had Ludwig found some more mages? Had the Republic's mages somehow gotten past the 203rd and broken in to relieve the city? Even if they had, Hausmann was sensible enough to report it and withdraw.
He looked up at the battle still raging in the sky, by now the early signs of dawn had started illuminating the sky, there were only two mages fighting each other. They both seemed small, but he could tell one was clearly Tanya, he recognised her flight patterns. The other was moving unusually fast however, he darted and turned far quicker than he should be able to, even with Letzenbourg flight gear. Tanya was an incredibly skilled aerial mage no matter what computation orb she was using, she should have easily dealt with one mage by now, right?
Will's gaze fell back down on the fallen captain and he saw his tears fall on the man's still body, it's your fault he died The dark voice mocked inside his head, It was the same voice that had been urging him to kill Tanya before.
"Shut up!" He murmured.
It was your stupid mission, you provoked Ludwig into changing sides the voice snickered in his head was true, he had stirred up the factions in Letzenbourg and he had arranged for his squad to be attached to the 203rd so they could pull off the plan. He'd caused all this, he shouldn't have caved to Canaris, he should have stuck to his own original plan and waited.
"Why do I keep making the same mistake? I got greedy again!" He whispered to himself through gritted teeth and staggered breaths.
You might as well have pulled the trigger yourself The voice laughed scornfully you murdered him!
"No!" He growled this wasn't his fault, the blame belonged to Ludwig and that mage. If Ludwig had rolled over, this attack never would have happened and it was that mage had taken Hausmann from him, they had taken part of his promised paradise. I'll make you pay! His true inner voice echoed angrily in his mind, silencing the dark voice as he glared up at the figures in the sky. He felt fury bubbling up within him and his pain began to recede as it was swallowed by the growing rage. The mage was fighting Tanya, was he trying to take her away from him too?
"No! I refuse! I just decided I wanted her to live, you can't have her!"He declared angrily forgetting all his pain as his vision turned red.
Wilhelm had drawn his sword without thinking as he pushed himself to his feet. He didn't check the number that only he could see if he had he would have seen it had increased by one.
Xxxxxx
Skies above Letzenbourg city
The boy's grip tightened around her windpipe, choking her as her hand moved to find her combat knife. Unable to see the blade, her hand scrabbled around her back desperately trying to find it. The boy had knocked the wind out of her and then immediately started choking her before she had a chance to refill her lungs with precious oxygen. It wouldn't be long before her brain became starved of the life-giving gas and she would lose consciousness, but her options to counter were limited. Damn you Being X, you set me up!
The fake god had hijacked her, allowing the fake Wilhelm to catch her. He'd obviously been brainwashed by Being X, just like the mad scientist Dr. Schugel, why else would he have been trying to exorcise her a moment ago? The counterfeit deity had probably persuaded him that she was Beelzebub himself, it wasn't that much of a stretch considering the cruel nickname the Republican troops had given her.
"I didn't know the Devil prayed to Him too," The boy said with a freakishly calm voice while squeezing a little tighter, "maybe that means you can be saved too."
That confirmed it, he was another nutso follower of Being X. Worse still, he'd ripped open her flight suit and gotten hold of the type 95, it was like he'd zeroed in on it. Although she was the only one who had ever been able to use it, that was only due to the intervention of Being X, if this guy was one of his cronies, it was possible he might be able to use it too. The thought was terrifying, it'd be like giving nukes to terrorists.
Somehow, she doubted that informing him that ripping a girl's clothing off was sexual harassment would be especially helpful, even if he only did it to steal her orb. Besides, with his hand around her neck she couldn't get a word out anyway and he didn't seem the sort that was going to negotiate.
"He told me you would have a powerful relic, He truly works in mysterious ways, doesn't He?" He asked staring at the computation orb dangling from the chain in his other hand. "I think that means He wants me to save both you and brother Wilhelm, what do you think?" He finished before turning and staring into her eyes.
Wilhelm? You blew him up you maniac! And Saving me? This is called choking not saving, besides, I know what being X's idea of saved is, and it's against free-market principles!
The look in his glowing orbs as they stared into her, told her he was insane, although she'd often thought the same of Wilhelm, he was a model of mental stability compared to the look in this boy's stare. At least once you cut through Wilhelm's bullshit, there was a twisted logic to it and a goal in mind, this kid no doubt only wanted to please his 'God,' how pathetic, I can't let this guy beat me.
She was struggling against his grip, but the more she moved, the quicker her oxygen would run out. Ultimately, that was a futile investment, she would get a much better return in a swift attack to get him to release his grip, even a small amount could be enough to allow her to breathe. He held her too close for her to get him with her SMG and her only other available weapon at the moment was her combat knife. However, she was unable to grasp it, where the hell is it? She thought beginning to lose her cool, her vision was starting to become blurry, she didn't have much time.
Still fumbling to find her knife, she threw her other hand up to try and prise his fingers open, while lashing out with her legs. His grip was too strong, and her own strength was waning by the second, he avoided her flailing lower limbs and responded by bringing her closer and smashing into her with a headbutt, before squeezing her windpipe further. He looked back at her, still almost emotionless before cocking his head slightly.
"Sometimes, God tests us, and it may even seem like we're being punished to earn his forgiveness," He said thoughtfully. They'd been gradually descending since he'd grasped her Tanya realised, they were now only a few hundred feet above the city. She felt dizzy and her vision began to darken as the lack of oxygen finally began to take its toll.
"Should I punish you, for him?" The boy said almost to himself before looking down at her questioningly and the area seemed strangely silent.
Suddenly, that silence was broken by the familiar whoomph of a mage taking flight and a battered and bloody Wilhelm came thundering up towards them, wielding his sword like a medieval knight tilting his lance. His face was half obscured by blood trickling down from a gash across his forehead and his left arm hung limp at his side. His uniform was ripped and singed, his cap had long since been discarded and there was hardly anything left of his greatcoat. His flight gear was battered and broken. Only one of the twin flight boots remained and the light on his power pack blinked erratically, it was a testament to its designer that it could still function at all.
The Fake froze in surprise and confusion, Tanya might have sympathised if she wasn't asphyxiating, she'd felt the same several times watching Wilhelm's suicidal charges, but amazingly they somehow always seemed to work for him.
"DIE!" Wilhelm spat venomously with a raspy voice as his sword pierced the other boy's gut and time seemed to slow once again. Despite the force of the little colonel's blow, the fake barely reacted to the pain, instead, his mask of serenity was broken by a wide, cheerful and excited smile.
The boy grasped the little colonel's wrist tightly with his other hand, pulling the sword further into him, while the chain of the type 95 tangled around the blade like a python constricting its prey. The fake pulled his face close to Wilhelm's, he looked happy and excited while Wilhelm's face was a picture of hateful rage.
"Brother Wilhelm! You're here! Now we can be saved together." The fake exclaimed with excitement while Wilhelm tried to yank himself away.
Fortunately for Tanya, Wilhelm's attack had distracted the boy and his grip on her throat loosened, allowing a sliver of air back into her lungs. She felt her fingers finally curl around the handle of her knife and using what strength she could muster, she swung it around, stabbing the arm that had kept her from breathing.
Again, the boy didn't react to the pain, but even he couldn't fight his own reflexes and he released his grip, causing her to fall backwards. She instinctively took a deep breath to refill her lungs and concentrated on summoning a flight formula, despite the light-headedness she had from her lack of air. As her brain re-oxygenated itself she quickly took stock of the situation.
The fake had either ignored or somehow not noticed that he had released her, he was completely focused on Wilhelm. He was still smiling and trying to pull Wilhelm closer, the little colonel was trying to resist but with his injuries, and the fake holding his only working arm in place, he wasn't having much luck. The fake's other arm still had her knife embedded into it, but again he did not seem to notice as he pulled Wilhelm into a hug. Damnit, Wilhelm is too close to get a clear shot, she complained inwardly aiming her weapon.
"SHOOT THE BASTARD! BLOW HIS FUCKING BRAINS OUT!" Wilhelm yelled in a panicked rage.
"No! you'll hit him!" The fake shouted back spinning them around, putting himself between her and Wilhelm. Now was her chance, she squeezed the trigger and a burst of fire erupted from her SMG, she had pulled her aim to one side slightly to avoid hitting Wilhelm. The gun was well made and fairly accurate for a weapon of its type, but it still had a bit of a spray and she wanted to avoid explaining to a tribunal why a bullet from her gun was imbedded in the body of the faux prince.
Despite that, three bullets struck their attacker in the torso and this time he seemed to feel the pain. His grip on Wilhelm lessened, and his lips moved before he slipped backwards off of Wilhelm's blade and fell down towards the city below, before landing in the river with a splash.
Wilhelm descended quickly afterwards, a combination of the damage to his gear, exhaustion and injuries made him seem unsteady in the air. Tanya followed cautiously as he landed and slumped against a nearby building close to the riverbank. Although he was no threat to her in his current state, and he had rushed in to help her, she didn't know how he would react to her after the incident on the roof.
He was her responsibility, however, with his injuries she would have to take command and make sure he was treated, while ensuring he kept his mouth shut about her own contributions to his current state of health, of course. She wasn't overly concerned, she knew he cared about his self-image and being beaten up by a girl would be something he'd prefer to keep quiet. If necessary, she could always reveal that she'd removed the evidence from the box and sent it away, but she had a feeling it wouldn't be required.
He lifted his arm and stared at his sword as she approached, no she realised, not his sword, he was studying the type 95 dangling from its chain wrapped around the blade near the hilt. He'd never seen it up close she realised. Tanya felt uneasy, for some reason, she didn't like the idea of the little colonel possessing that thing, it was almost impossible that he could use it, but it somehow felt wrong to see him with it.
She would have been happy to throw it away, but it had been officially assigned and entrusted to her by the Logistics department and countersigned by the General staff. It was technically the most advanced piece of technology in the world, at least decades beyond even the type 97 and command would be loathed to lose it. The only reason it wasn't sitting in some Lab was that no one could figure out why she was the only person that could use it, and they hoped that mystery would unravel itself if she kept hold of it. To abandon it would be a breach of their trust and a potential investigation that could spell the end to her career, not to mention a mountain of paperwork. Besides, she had a horrible feeling Being X would always find a way to get it back to her.
She could hear Wilhelm's ragged, shallow and gurgled breaths as he stared at the orb, he must have some internal injuries she realised, perhaps even a punctured lung, she'd have to summon a medic for him fairly soon.
"He looked like me, didn't he?" He asked slowly clearly in pain. She could understand the need for confirmation, the whole situation had been crazy for her, for him it must have seemed like a bizarre dream. Especially since he seemed to have a head injury, he'd probably been thinking it was all a hallucination. She wondered if under the circumstances she'd have been better off lying bout it, but it was too late now.
"Before he fell, he said, forgive Ludwig" He rasped in confusion.
It seemed this mage had more of a connection to the Letzenbourg royals than an uncanny resemblance. Tanya didn't know what to say, there'd be no way to find out about it right now, her priority was to get Wilhelm out now, as per her original orders.
He turned as she approached leaning his back against the wall, wincing in pain as he moved. He looked at the orb with a disgusted expression before lifting the sword out in front of her, for a second she was being hostile, but she caught the look of anguish in his eyes as he stared at her.
"Take it away, I don't want to touch it," He whispered, and she moved to untangle the 95 from the blade, "it's worse than the sword" He finished quietly looking before away from it.
She wasn't sure if she was more relieved or uncomfortable with the little colonel's reaction to the orb. Something about the device had obviously upset the boy, although considering what he'd been through the last few hours it was likely his emotional state was fragile, to say the least. Could he sense Being X's influence on the device? She had never been able to unless it was active, but she had sensed nothing from the boy's sword and she'd not seen the number he'd raved about either. She supposed it didn't matter, they both had their respective curses to deal with, it made sense not to want to get involved with another one.
He watched her quietly, and for a while, the only sound was his rasping breath as she unravelled the cursed objects. From the corner of her eye, she could see his skin had turned pale and waxy, it was likely he was only even conscious because of adrenaline right now. He seemed calmer however, she could probably relieve him now without an argument, then summon a medic, their forces had basically been on clean up duties anyway.
She frowned and inwardly chastised herself for being complacent, they hadn't heard anything over the radio for a while now, it was foolish to assume that the situation hadn't changed. She glanced at Wilhelm's bloody and singed body, and thought back to her basic first aid training, she should at least get him laid down and check him over. Once she'd stabilised him, she should get back in touch with Visha and get a sitrep and medical team, maybe they could send one of his underlings to pick him up.
"I'll make sure you don't get blamed," Wilhelm said swaying slightly, obviously mistaking her thoughtful frown for worry. "I deserved that beating anyway," He finished as Tanya blinked in surprise, he was being genuine she was sure. She really had finally got through that thick skull, she did her best to keep a triumphant grin off her face, although she couldn't help but glance to see his look of submission.
He wore no such expression however, instead, he was still staring at the type 95 with a strange almost unreadable look.
"I could throw it in the river if you want?" He said eventually looking over at rippling water as she finally freed the device, and she found herself briefly considering the offer. She had no time to weigh up the proposal however as she heard a gargled, angry whisper from the little colonel.
"It can't be!"
She glanced up seeing a look of burning hatred filling Wilhelm's eyes, she followed his gaze and saw the fake crawling out of the river. Having suffered terrible injuries in Nordan nearly two years prior, she knew that both should be suffering excruciating pain, despite the adrenaline that would be fuelling them. So, when Wilhelm rose up and started staggering towards his injured clone, she was more than a little surprised.
Judging from the look she'd seen, this was it, he'd totally cracked. She wasn't surprised, she'd always considered him irrational, even if he had proved that it was partly because his aims didn't line up with those around him. She could almost forgive him, however, with his injuries and the strange situation of fighting his doppelgänger, it was to be expected he would suffer battle fatigue. There were few people that would be especially well equipped for this sort of situation, he'd done well to last this long. It was a pain though, she'd just got him calm and malleable.
"Brother Wilhelm," The phoney smiled as Wilhelm reached him eliciting a vicious kick to the face from Wilhelm. Tanya didn't feel the need to intervene, it was probably better for her if Wilhelm got this out of his system, so she took the opportunity to try and reconnect to any nearby forces. She'd keep an eye on the two, of course, there was a decent chance Wilhelm would collapse any minute anyway.
"You took someone very important from me, you took part of my happiness!" Wilhelm growled at the boy, stamping a foot into his ribs. The boy looked at him confused and Wilhelm yelled and stabbed a sword into his shoulder in a fit of anger.
"Hausmann was mine!" He spat, "I promised him…and you took him from me!" Wilhelm viciously shoved his heel into one of the bullet wounds that she had inflicted earlier. She wondered if she should step in, this was technically against the rules of war with the treatment of wounded, but as far as she was aware, they never bothered to put an article about wounded fighting each other. Besides, Wilhelm was technically still in command, it would be his responsibility, she just needed to remember to lodge an official complaint later.
"Then you had the audacity to try and take her too," He said darkly as Tanya finally heard a burst of static and muffled voices spring to life from her radio. It seemed Wilhelm was really putting on a show for her to prove he'd learned his lesson, she saw through it of course but she appreciated the effort.
Suddenly Lieutenant Serebryakov's voice started stuttering through the static, she couldn't make out the words, but she could tell it was her. Finally, we can get back on track, she thought.
"She's mine too!" He growled, "you won't take her," he continued with another kick while pulling his sword back out of the other boy's shoulder. Ok Wilhelm, no need to ham it up, thought Tanya, maybe he was still worried that she'd shoot him.
"I'd like to see you suffer, but I don't have time" Wilhelm finished, while the fake looked up at him with a serene smile.
"I forgive you, remember what I told you," He said closing his eyes as Wilhelm kicked him back into the river with a sickening crack and the fake disappeared under the murky water
Wilhelm slowly turned, swaying slightly, his eyes were unfocused but still filled with anger and hatred, while blood still seeped from his wounds. She'd hoped he would have calmed down by now but apparently, she'd have to step in herself.
"Ludwig…." Wilhelm rasped before Tanya could say anything, this wasn't quite what she had expected, but then again, trying to guess Wilhelm's thoughts was like trying to use the rules of chess to understand snakes and ladders. If life were a game, he was playing a different one.
"He knew…. He knew but he still tried to drug me, to kill me! But he knew I wasn't…" He gurgled as his breathing became increasingly more erratic. What was he thinking? Did he think that his brother knew about him? She needed to calm Wilhelm down, sure the lookalike had been weird, but it didn't mean anything, Wilhelm wasn't in a position to make rational judgments right now, she had to stop him from doing anything stupid.
"Major, Colonel, can you hear me?" Visha's voice suddenly cut through the radio static, interrupting Tanya's thoughts.
Tanya couldn't help but feel relief at her subordinate cutting through the static, she hadn't liked being out of contact and it was nice to hear a friendly voice. She quickly acknowledged and gave her position, surprised to find that Serebryakov was in the air and close by. What had happened? She wouldn't have left the command centre without good reason.
Visha landed nearby and Tanya found herself demanding to know what was going on. She felt rude but she would apologise later, a situation that forced her adjutant to go against her instructions was obviously important. and now wasn't the time to beat around the bush. Visha quickly explained as best she could but Tanya again found herself rudely interrupting.
"Withdraw? But why? We've pretty much taken the city as it is!" Tanya growled in annoyance, despite everything the little colonel's plan had worked, they should be celebrating a victory not retreating.
"The General staff called off the reinforcements and pulled back the front lines, we are to evacuate the city" explained Visha. "Colonel Rerugen is coming to take the prince back to Berlun and the Republicans are almost here!" She finished reporting obviously feeling awkward about being the bearer of bad news.
Damnit! All this was for nothing! Tanya cursed, if the enemy was here it was all over, now it was about minimizing losses. Wilhelm had assurances from the high command that reinforcements would be sent, they even had one of the most powerful men in the Empire supporting them, why hadn't the General staff sent help? The General staff answered to the high command, at least in theory.
She found herself gritting her teeth in annoyance, the General staff were no fools, if they didn't send reinforcements, then they had a good reason. Either that or Wilhelm had been sold out, either way there was no choice now.
"When did the evacuation start?" asked Tanya, straightening herself up and trying to adapt as quickly as she could.
"That's just it, ma'am, the Letzenbourg soldiers won't leave unless the prince says so" began Visha, "I was hoping he was with you."
Tanya blinked in surprise and looked around hastily, Wilhelm was gone.
Authors Notes
Hi all and thank you for reading.
You may be wondering, "How is Wilhelm still managing to even move right now? Let alone anything else?" The answer, of course, is willpower XD (I'm not sorry for the pun).
I like Wilhelm's bit in this chapter, personally, I think its one of the best bits I've written but I'd like to know your thoughts.
"War is the continuation of politics" is a quote by Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz in his book On War. Carlo Zenreferences this quote a lot in the LN but it's usually Loria using it. Needless to say, Wilhelm is right, Clausewitz was never blasted through a wall by a mage or pointed a gun at Tanya XD.
"Reason compels Humans to be peaceful" is a quote from the LN attributed to the Ildoan General Igor Gassman, I'm not going to explain why Wilhelm would know that saying for the moment.
I'm not saying for a second that Damian (Fake Wilhelm), or Wilhelm could use the type 95, but I think it would be a genuine concern for Tanya, she knows what it can do and the idea of a religious nutjob or sword-wielding schemer using it would probably be terrifying for her. I mean imagine if Mary got hold of it and could use it.
I tried to make it, so Wilhelm didn't just come in and save the day, I hope it came across that way.
Sometimes I worry that the characters are doing things that are far too crazy and unrealistic, then I read about some historical figure and realise they are pretty boring. Look up Adrian Carton de Wairt, he served in 4 different wars, (including the 2 world wars and lied about being British so he could be in the Boer war), he amputated his own fingers, lost an eye, a hand and a lung. He had his plane shot down was a POW for 7 months and at the end of it all said, "Frankly I enjoyed the war." Truth really is stranger than fiction.
I hope you are all still enjoying this story and again thank you for reading.
Xanen