Unmei Force Solitary Legends: Eternal Embers
Chapter 2: Rescue at Arlem
In the mess hall...
Gus was making his way through the room, as he was holding a bowl of Gallian beef stew, before he then sat down on a empty table and enjoyed his meal slowly.
"Been a while since I've tasted such good food from this country." Gus remarked in between bites, enjoying the flavour. "I should try and learn the recipe for these meals, to cook for the others..."
As Gus was eating, someone made his way up to him, accompanied by several others.
"Ooh! You're one of the new instructors, in fact the one for all of us!" A familiar voice rang, as Gus stopped eating, and turned around to see that the very same twin-tailed girl with glasses, was leading them. "We were about to have a scout meeting. It would be quite nice to make our first introductions to you, especially when you're one of the veteran scouts of the famous Squad 7!"
"Sure, I won't mind." Gus answered back.
"By the way, I don't think that we've properly introduced ourselves yet, dude." The girl stated. "I'm Lanseal's top scoop-hunter, Lotte Netzel! Wherever there's news, there's Netzel!"
"I can see that, Netzel." Gus remarked, looking at the camera cradled in her hands. "You must be quite fond of the hobby of reporting then. What do you think of Irene Ellet?"
"Oh, she's the coolest reporter in my eyes! I look up to her quite a lot, dude!" Lotte exclaimed with joy. "It's because of her, that you guys are absolutely famous!"
"Oh... I'm... I'm Nichol Martin." One of the other students, a brown-haired boy with a timid expression and brown eyes, stated. "Um... My sister is a shocktrooper here, too. Nice to meet you, Mr Teller."
"Please, there is no need to be that formal." Gus answered back with a friendly smile. "Just call me Gus. You are all not that younger than me."
"Helmut Bourdais." Another one of the students stated with a stoic tone, who was a man wearing a blue officer's cap, with white hair underneath it, and a stern expression on his face, and hazel eyes. "The thought of serving under the command of someone like Avan Hardins is... Bah. Not to mention that I has the displeasure of meeting someone like you here."
"I'm sorry... Is there something wrong about me that offends you?" Gus asked back gently.
"Nothing that would interfere with either of our duties. It would be best that you do not know." Helmut answered back calmly. "I am willing to learn under you, and I will not question anything you order of me."
"Hm, if you say so." Gus replied back with a concerned expression.
"I'm Melissa Dalen..." The final member of the group, which was a girl with short straight black hair that had jagged edges and was spread out, with a green ribbon on top of her head, and narrowed brown eyes, spoke with a very quiet voice, almost like whispering or hissing, as it came from behind Gus, surprised him when he turned to face her. "Hee hee, your back's wide open, Teller. You could get shot."
"You are quite the stealthy one, Dalen." Gus chuckled lightly. "I hope that you would not startle me like that. If this was on a battlefield, you could have been shot. I'm fairly paranoid about sneak attacks, despite my legacy."
"Don't let her get to you, dude. That's just her way of saying hi." Lotte told Gus. "I'd tell you about scouts, but I suppose that you're the expert here."
"Right, and I'll capitalise on those good points. Perhaps... Some of you might become snipers in time, and that would help Remi have someone to teach at least." Gus answered back, before he then collected his empty bowl."I suppose that you'll let me finish eating in peace? You'll see me soon enough in classes."
"Right then, I suppose that we'll see you again, dude!" Lotte bid him farewell, as Gus made his way out of the mess hall.
"I wonder how the others are doing... What kind of people are assigned to them?" Gus pondered to himself.
In the hallways...
Richard was walking down the hallways, before a group of students came towards him. He then halted where he stood, and let the group come to him.
"Yes? I suppose that you have some matters to speak to me about?" Richard asked firmly.
"You're Instructor Craider, yes?" The leading member of the group, a girl with light-brown hair that has been styled properly with braids across her head. "I am Franca Martin. I suppose that we're all under your tutelage, being the class's shocktroopers. I thought that it would be wise to have us all introduced to you before our first class together."
"Taking the initiative. Respectable, Martin." Richard answered back, crossing his arms. "Well then, who's the first to introduce yourselves? I assure you that I'm harmless... for now. You'll see what I mean soon enough."
"Anisette Nelson, shining star of the night sky of Lanseal, darling!" A girl with long brown hair that has been styled into a complex hair-style with bangs and tufts of hair, and a ponytail tied by a blue ribbon, answered back with elegance and a jovial tone. "I'm content to be with a military legend like you, and willing to have the chance to be friends with one!"
"Nelson, hm...? Interesting, I never heard about Edy having a sister." Richard answered back with a hand under his chin, before he then smiled. "I can see what is common between the both of you as sisters. I cannot deny such a personality cannot be related to you both."
"Good day to you. My name is Marion Siegbahn." A girl with long black hair that was parted to the sides and olive eyes, answered back with a humble tone, as she kept a gentle smile on her lips. "I trust that we'll get along well, instructor, even though you might be a Darcsen. As a noble... I hope you'll understand."
"Regrettable, but as long as it does not affect your studies, I won't mind you harbouring slight dislike of me." Richard responded back. "Although I hope to correct that as much as possible."
Richard then turned to the last unnamed member of the group, as he knew Aisha, who was amongst them, as it was a boy with blonde hair and brown eyes, as he had a grain of wheat in between his lips. He then looked at him for a moment.
"...I suppose that you're not interested in introducing yourself?" Richard asked back with a strict tone.
"Hmph." The boy answered back, before he then walked away, as Aisha tried to stop him.
"Hey, wait, you can't just go like that! Rain won't be happy if you try to do such things in front of him!" Aisha exclaimed at him.
"Let him be, Aisha. I can tell what might be his problem." Richard told the young girl, before turning to Franca. "Since he won't do the honours, then shall you, Martin?"
"That's typical of him. He's Erik Kampmann." Anisette scoffed. "Can't even spell the word teamwork, and he's always getting into fights."
"That seems quite... interesting." Richard said, before he then turned to Aisha. "So, little Aisha... How have you been for these two years?"
"Pretty well!" Aisha answered back. "Ever since I've enrolled in Lanseal, I've been fairly famous... that is until I ended up being saddled in this class. The people here are a little bit infuriating to be with, but at least the people in this class are kind enough to disregard all that."
"I see, I see. It's glad to have you with me again, Aisha." Richard smiled back, before turning to the rest of the group. "Now then, is there anything you ask of me?"
"No, instructor." Franca answered back.
"Then I'll just continue along." Richard answered back, before walking past them, then turning back to give them a side-glance. "Just so you know, save for Remi, I'm the most strict instructor of the five. I suggest you make your mental preparations. I wasn't lying when I said that training under us is cruel and taxing for your body and mind. You'll get used to it, but that depends if you can all bear it... or not."
With those words, Richard walked out of the group's sights, as his words impacted them, causing them to feel a sense of chilling fear creep up their backs, save for Aisha, who was used to Richard's training, although even she felt a sense of dread from Richard's words.
Inside the drilling grounds...
Marisa was carrying around her Petard, as she was jogging across the track field with it, as one of the nearby groups noticed her, and waved and gestured for her to come over. She changed course to them, before she then stopped, and lowered her weapon onto the sandy ground.
"Hey, you called?" Marisa asked back. "You guys from Class G-7? I recall seeing one or two of you in the crowd of students."
"Getting used to campus life here, Miss Shine?" One of the students, a large man with shaggy brown hair, thick eyebrows and brown eyes.
"Well, not exactly a problem for me. So, you guys want to introduce yourselves? If you're looking for me, that makes you all lancers, thus my students, am I right?" Marisa asked them.
"Here, I'll introduce you all." The large man offered back. "My name is Reiner Tristan. I enlisted to keep the folks back home safe."
"Same here. Hope you'll end up becoming like me." Marisa answered back. "In a good way, I mean."
"I'm Rene Randall, sports nut! I want this war to end so we can all get back to playing ball already!" Another of the students, a girl with spiked orange hair, freckles dotted along the bridge of her nose, and grey eyes.
"Huh. That's an interesting hobby you got there then, Rene." Marisa answered back, before she then smiled. "I know someone that you'll get along quite well with."
"Really!? There's someone just as enthusiastic about sports as I am!?" Rene exclaimed with eagerness.
"Yep, although that person is quite faraway from this place." Marisa nodded.
"I'm Noel Willoch, and making a name for myself as a soldier's my dream." The beret-wearing girl with brown eyes introduced herself with a smile. "I look forward to being a student under someone as experienced as you, Miss Shine."
"Don't worry, you're learning from the best here." Marisa gloated with a grin, before she then hefted the Petard up. "After all, you don't get a special weapon tailored for your combat style, if you aren't!"
"Coleen Celsius here. I'm glad that our little family has grown, and we get a few respectable figures to guide our education." The last member of the group introduced herself, a girl with curled dark pink hair with a black headband on her head, that had a white rose on it, and hazel eyes. "I hope that you'll teach me a lot about being a proper lancer and if you feel like you want to bond with a student, I'm always around."
"Sorry, Coleen, but I've got too many friends already." Marisa denied Coleen gently. "However, that doesn't mean that we'll become friends naturally. In fact, if you all will be fine to have me as one, I'll do the same for all of you."
"Heh heh, seems that our teacher is true to her word then." Noel chuckled lightly.
"Right then, since you guys are already here, how about a preliminary exercise session to warm ourselves up and get to know each other a little?" Marisa offered back. "You don't need your lances to jog with, that's for later. Just try to keep pace with me, all of you."
"You got it, Miss Shine." Reiner answered back. "I'd be happy to get some training in, when I have the chance."
The class's lancers then followed after Marisa, as they took the track field, and started doing laps on it.
Inside the class hospital...
Sanae was looking around the hospital, as she was checking to see if she could find some canisters of fresh ragna-aid for later use. However, while she did, she bumped into another group, as she collided into a student with blonde hair and brown eyes, as the both of them were knocked back
"Ah! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Sanae was about to remark, before the student quickly backed away.
"No need to apologise, it's my fault for getting in your way, instructor." The boy answered back politely and nicely. "I suppose that we should all introduce ourselves to our instructor. I'll start first. My name is Randy Hamsun. I'm just relieved that there has been a class chair decided. I look forward to great things from you, instructor Westgale."
"I-I'm Raymond. Raymond Moen." One of the other students, who was a large man with a bulky build and grey stubble-like hair on his head. "I-I'll try my best not to get in the way!"
"I'm sure that you'll have much to learn from me." Sanae answered back. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that you'll become a very good engineer, Raymond."
"Alright. I'm Sofia Collins." A girl with blue eyes, and long flowing brown hair stated. "And I have to say, I'm intrigued to see that this is one of the most prominent engineers of the famed Squad 7. A hayseed like you earning such prestige and fame... Interesting to say the least."
There was another member of the group, as it was the same Darcsen girl who commented about Elma, as she looked away from Sanae, looking quite shy and reluctant to converse.
"Uh... hello?" Sanae asked gently.
"What, me...? I... I'm..." The girl tried to introduce herself, before she then turned away, with a embarrassed expression on her face. "I can't...! You're scary!"
"Me...? Oh no, I'm not like that. Really, I'm not...!" Sanae tried to calm the girl down, to no avail.
"Ha ha! Poor Magari here is terribly shy, but she'll warm up to you soon, instructor." Randy answered back. "Just give it some time."
"I hope so. A person like her should be cared for well." Sanae answered back. "I hope to see you all, I need to prepare for something of my own."
"Very well then, until next time, instructor." Sofia answered back, as Sanae passed by the group.
Inside the school courtyard...
Avan, Corrin and Isara were wandering inside the large section of the school, as Corrin was leading the group around.
"Ugh... This stupid campus is way too big! I'll just end up getting lost several times!" Avan whined.
"You'll learn to get used to it, and that problem will be fixed, once you know where you generally go for your classes." Corrin answered back.
They looked around for a while, before they bumped into a group of classmates, as they were lead by the same student who remarked about Zeri earlier.
"Yo, Avan! What's up man? I heard that you brought some people with you..." The boy stated, before he then noticed Isara, as his words trailed off a little, as his expression turned slightly remorseful. "...oh."
"Do you have a problem with me being here?" Isara asked back.
"No, not at all! I'm just simply curious about getting some Darcsen students in our class." The beanie-wearing boy answered back. "Right, I suppose that you guys might not know us. We're the armoured techs of this class. I'm Joachim Osen, man and ladies!"
"Um, I... I'm Morris Lling. I'm Morris Lling." One of them, a boy with short black hair and a sullen expression answered back. "It'd be great if you remembered me. Or at least just the name."
"Fret not, you'll not be forgotten so easily." Corrin answered back. "That much I can assure you, Morris."
"I'm Alexis Hilden. I'm here to fight for mother Gallia and her leader." The same student who made the comment about Avan being the 'Scarlet Lion's brother' stated. "I look forward to seeing you prove yourself worthy of command, Avan Hardin. As for the rest of you... I suppose that we'll see what you're all capable of, especially you, Isara Gunther."
"I am Mischlitt. Pay no mind to me... I'm a Darcsen." A girl with long black hair and glasses stated softly.
"A fellow Darcsen... Don't be like that... Mischlitt. There are still people who are willing to accept us as their friends." Isara commented in response.
"Not for me, I'm afraid. I'm not like you, Isara." Mischlitt answered back with a gentle shake of her head.
"We are the squad's shield, deflecting frontal fire without flinching. We're also trained to disarm landmines as well." Alexis told them.
"And try to remember us all next time, man!" Joachim added.
"Hah, I think I got it. Thanks for the intros. It's good to meet all of you!" Avan stated. "But guess what, Isara and Karin are armoured techs like all of you! Anyway, we gotta go, see you all later!"
Avan then left with both Isara and Corrin, with the former giving Mischlitt a sad look, before turning to follow the others.
A few days, on the drill grounds...
Richard, and the entirety of the class's stormtroopers were on the drill grounds, as Richard set up a firing range, with paper targets laid at different distances, as Richard was instructing them. As someone who has been trained before in the army, Aisha was obviously the best performer of the bunch, as her shots tore through the targets with frightening accuracy and speed, leaving the other stormtroopers shocked that their youngest member was outperforming them grossly.
However, there were two exceptions. Zeri merely regarded Aisha's performance with respect in his eyes, before he was immediately barked at by Richard for being distracted. He quickly snapped out of his trance, and quickly worked on his drills. Erik, who seemed to be here begrudgingly, merely looked at her, before grumbling a 'hmph' to himself, and continuing his drills.
As Richard watched the entire group continue to train themselves, he merely kept silent, and observed them carefully, picking out certain problems in the firing stances of his students, and their firing accuracy.
As soon as all of the targets allocated to each of them were cleared out, Richard then pulled out a whistle and blew on it, indicating the end of the drills. The students quickly lined up, while Richard walked towards them.
"I'll say this, despite all that is said about you from other classes, I'm impressed at what I'm seeing in terms of skill and talent." Richard told them. "But, still, there is much room for improvement. Even for you, Neumann."
Aisha nodded gently, before Richard then gave them all a brief glance, before then clearing his throat.
"Alright then, I suppose that feedback for the first drill session is required." Richard answered back, before turning to Zeri. "First of all, Zeri. Although your firing stance is fairly well, and you're hitting targets well, but I will stress this for you, don't keep your eye off the targets as long as you did when you were eyeing Neumann. I suppose that to all of you, seeing her stellar performance has stirred awe in you, but you mustn't let that distract it, lest it becomes a bad habit for you all, especially you Zeri. Fix that problem of looking up to certain veterans and you'll be on the way to making yourself a very good stormtrooper."
"I... I understand, Mr. Craider." Zeri answered back with a gentle nod.
"As for you two, Martins and Kampmann, speaking of firing stance..." Richard continued, turning to the two mentioned students, before his eyes hardened. "The hell is that kind of stance? I can see a lot of problems with the ones that you two are using. You might have both hit your targets eventually, but you've wasted a lot of bullets in doing so, and not all of your shots hit the vital spots of the enemy! Let me start first with you, Martins, you spaced your legs way too out, you think that the spacing will stabilise your body further? NO! The spacing of your feet requires a certain distance to achieve maximum stability. Too little or too much, and you'll end up with a shaky gun! And one in a dangerous battlefield is asking to be shot! Am I clear!?"
"Crystal, instructor." Francas answered back with a nod.
"And you, Kampmann." Richard stated, before he scowled visibly. "I don't know what you're playing at, but wildly firing away and praying your bullets hit is NOT a viable strategy when facing a enemy! You might have a aggressive attitude that bolsters your role, but being able to pressure your enemy requires you to aim AT them, not away from them! Think of it like this, would you rather fight a man who can throw a punch where it truly hurts, or fight one that only wildly throw random punches at a wild pace. What would you choose, Erik Kampmann...!?"
Erik was silent, before he then crossed his arms. "The former." He answered back without a single chance in his expression. "I know how this kind of thing works, instructor."
"Then you better rein yourself in, Kampmann, you go too far on a battlefield, you're likely to get singled out and shot before you even know what happens." Richard answered back. "That's what will happen to anyone who doesn't know any better on a battlefield. Walk before you run, Kampmann, learn to make your shots count before you go rushing the enemy. That's all I have to say to you. Now as for you, Siegbahn..."
Richard then crossed his arms. "I'll put it out straight, the fact that you knew how to wield that weapon of yours with care and experience makes me wonder if you have held weapons before and fired them." Richard answered back. "I suppose that attributed to your fairly good accuracy compared to the other students. However, you'll need more than your skill with weapons to keep you alive in a battlefield. I'll see more about you as a soldier in the following sessions."
Marion was silent, as she considered Richard's words, before she then silently nodded back.
Richard then turned to Anisette. "Now onto you, Nelson." He stated. "Other than Aisha, you're the best performer of the bunch. I suppose that your devotion to making yourself to the top of this little squad is what drives you to improve further and further." He stated.
"Thank you, Mr Craider! I'll do my best to work even harder for you and everyone!" Anisette spoke cheerfully.
"However, the road ahead for you is long and arduous. And this is just a taste of what I'll put you all through. In all honesty, I hope that you'll keep that mindset, Anisette, but remember... A good performer stands out the most from the others. Be sure that you make yourself untouchable, or the enemy will start with you first." Richard sternly warned her. "Now then, finally to you, Neumann..."
"Yes, Mr Craider?" Aisha asked back.
"Your firing stance and precision is as good as it was when you trained as part of the militia." Richard answered back. "I don't know how you avoided letting your military skills stagnate, but the fact that you're almost as good as you were back then pleases me greatly. However, you are a student nonetheless, and thus, you have more talent within you that must be brought out. Perhaps you might become like me, a legendary stormtrooper, but only time tells. In terms of your stance... You might want to avoid bending your head too far when you take aim."
"Right!" Aisha exclaimed back.
"Now then, next time we're here, you'll be doing more than shoot stationary targets." Richard stated. "EVERYONE, DISMISSED!"
The young stormtroopers immediately dispersed, as they moved their own respective classes, or to their own hangouts for their breaks.
Two weeks later...
Richard, Gus, Reisen, Sanae and Marisa were gathered together in a table inside the staff-room, as they were having their lunch together.
"Man, the food today is truly great!" Marisa spoke with a slightly filled mouth, as she was enjoying a meat sandwich. "I wonder if we could get some-"
"Already considered it, Mari." Gus answered back quickly.
"Right, now that we've got the time to be together, since it's lunch-break now... How goes all of the training of the students, especially with Elma for you, Sally?" Richard asked them.
"Elma's learning quite fine, I wonder if she's got a talent in it. The only problem is that she's a little bit anxious and reluctant at times, considering that she didn't want to mess up. Not to mention that she's not as much of a crack-shot as the other students, but she's fairly good at shooting, when she's not shooting anything alive." Sanae explained. "As for the others, well, there's this guy, Raymond, who looks big enough to be a lancer, but he prefers to be engineer. Well, there's nothing wrong with that, and I guess that he does have a good thing with him, his strength can help carry the wounded out."
"Perhaps." Richard answered back. "As for Isara and Karin... The two of them are doing quite well. Karin's taking to all of this swinging and blocking like fish in the water, and Isara's learning quite quickly, and she's getting used to fighting with this war-pick of hers. Anyone else like to talk about their experiences with their students?"
"Nothing much for me. All I do to train them, is to teach them where tanks are the most vulnerable, and where to hit if you just want to hurt them, if the opportunity to hit the reactor cannot be found, and I also train them to be slightly more nimble, even while carrying those heavy lances of theirs. At least the Petard is lighter for a lot more firepower. A blessed package of firepower, I'd say." Marisa responded back.
"Most of the students aren't performing quite well with my studies." Reisen stated. "That's to be expected, they're not exactly tactically-minded like some of us. However, there are some people that were worth nothing. Randy Hamsun, who seems strangely good at commanding forces, Franca Martins, who possesses good qualities of leadership, and Zeri, whose intellect manages to score well in my evaluations."
"Hm, as expected." Richard nodded back. "What about Avan?"
"Rain... I'll put it bluntly, Avan Hardins is a stubborn and dim moron." Reisen spoke bluntly. "Every time I try to teach him something, he doesn't make the most of it. He refuses any covert actions, and prefers to use frontal assaults for solutions for most situations, even some where that would lead to the worst outcome possible. I begin to question why he remains as class chair to lead the squad in any real battles."
"Give it time, once Avan sees enough of real war... He'll change his tune and take your lessons far more seriously than he ever will before." Richard answered back.
"He better, or else I'll have reasonable doubts about the future of this class." Reisen coldly answered back.
As soon as she finished that, another teacher entered the room, as it was one of the academic subject teachers, as she came over to Richard.
"How can I help you, madam?" Richard asked back, before she then produced a letter.
"This was addressed to you." She simply answered back, before she then left as quickly as she came.
Richard raised an eyebrow, before he then opened the letter, and slowly read it, his eyes scanning every word on it. There was a moment of silence, as his friends looked at him, with Gus eagerly anticipating what the letter would say. Suddenly, Richard's eyes widened, before he then quickly folded the letter and stood up abruptly.
"What's the matter?" Marisa asked back. "Something surprised you?"
"Yes, in a very bad way." Richard answered back. "The first part of the letter is fairly fine, it's just simply a message from Vyse, who was the first to be recruited into the Polar Star organisation, with some old Squad 7 members with him. He simply wrote that he was impressed that I was working in Lanseal, and hopes that we'll bring this civil war down quickly, as well as sending me a few heartfelt greetings, and welcome-backs. However, the rest... Take a read."
Richard then folded the letter to show the remaining part of the letter, as the four of them could clearly see what's read on it.
And what's more is that we managed to find a turncoat. Turns out the guy didn't like what was about to go on, and considering that he was afraid of us, he decided to desert the rebel army. We managed to find him, since he was running without any aim. He spilled the beans on some secret stuff that the rebels have been working on, and all he asked in exchange was a pardon, since he was just a fresh recruit to the rebels. Of course, I kept him in custody, mind you, it was willing and of the protective kind, since he might have more to tell us about who's leading this sorry bunch of racist bastards.
Either way, important thing is, he told us that around two days after this letter will be received by you, there will be a attack on the Arlem region. You might know it as one of the places where the freed Darcsens are residing in, especially some of the ones we rescued back at Fouzen. Those sick bastards were going to massacre the whole village.
Now, knowing you, I bet that your first course of action is to rush there and meet the rebel yourselves, and rain hell and judgement on them. Then good news, Princess, no Archduchess Cordelia gave us the go-ahead to sortie out and meet them in battle. So know that we've got each other's back on this.
Go get them, pal,
Vyse Inglebard
Sanae gasped in horror, while Marisa grit her teeth with anger. "Oh, these fuckers are going to pay..." She snarled.
"We're moving out." Richard answered back, before he then grabbed a small piece of paper and a pencil, before he then quickly wrote a message on it. "Considering that Arlem is only several hours from here, it's enough time for us to prepare an counter-offensive against the invading rebels. With Polar Star at the ready, we'll be able to drive back as many of the enemy forces as possible, while evacuating the Darcsens here to safer regions."
"Then what are we waiting for...!? We need to get there fast!" Sanae shouted.
"I know, I'll get the principal informed about our temporary leave, and convince him that we'll halt the enemy forces long enough for back-up to arrive." Richard replied.
The group then rushed out of the staff-room, but not before Richard stuck the note onto a easily-seen place.
We're moving out to Arlem region, due to news of rebel activity. We'll try to thin the enemy numbers so that the rest can clean up what remains.
Two days later, inside the homeroom of Class G-7...
"...Today we'll be covering the military history of Ancient Europa." Brixham stated, standing in front of the blackboard.
The students were arranged into the rows of seats, as Isara, Corrin and Elma were sitting quite close to Avan, Zeri and Cosette, mostly from the side or behind.
"Barf... History is like my worst subject." Avan complained, as Brixham laid down the summary of the lesson to the rest of the class.
"Don't be so modest, Avan. I'm sure you're equally bad at all of them." Zeri scoffed.
"Hey, shut up!" Avan exclaimed, before she was knocked on the back of the head by Corrin. "Hey, what was that for!?"
"Quiet down, you don't want to get in trouble." Corrin gently said. "Besides, Zeri, don't be so harsh, everyone has a subject they are weak at."
"I believe that's SUBJECTS." Zeri answered back. "Besides, it's not like he's doing well with the other subjects. I have seen that for myself. Not to mention that he's one of the worst scorers for the tactical classes. And yet he's class chair."
"I believe that he can get better." Isara told Zeri. "Karin is right, don't be so rude to Avan, even if you find his character infuriating."
"Very well." Zeri relented.
"Mm?" Cosette remarked, noting the black-and-white photo of what seemed to be Avan's brother, whose hairstyle was much more tidied and was dressed in a military uniform. She picked it up, and showed it to Avan. "Avan, you dropped this photo."
"Oh, man! Thanks for catching that! It must have fallen out of my notebook." Avan thanked Cosette.
"Is that... your brother?" Elma asked. "I can see the resemblance between you both."
"Yup! That's my big bro, Leon! He's amazing at everything. He's totally my hero." Avan responded back. "I mean, he's-"
"Not to be a jerk here, but let's not talk about that while class is in session." Isara cut in with a stern expression.
"Isara is right, class is about to start right now." Zeri agreed.
"Now that we've done the introduction, onto the class. Everyone open your books to page 25, please." Brixham stated.
Everyone was about to do that, before the sound of the bell ringing was heard, except it wasn't the school bell, which sounded much lighter and softer, but instead a much deeper and resonant ringing, which caused everyone to stiffen up.
"Wh-What's going on?" Avan exclaimed.
"This bell... it's not the same as the usual one... By the tone of it... It means something terrible." Corrin stated.
"It sounds like..." Zeri remarked.
"I have a bad feeling about this..." Isara stated.
Rene merely sighed, before she then stood up. "Here we go." She stated with a slightly depressed tone.
"What...?" Magari stated.
"Not again..." Reiner grumbled, before he then rose from his seat.
"What the..." Avan remarked, as the class were rising from their seats and heading towards the lockers behind them.
"You heard the bells." Alexis stated.
"What's... What's going on!?" Elma asked, feeling very uneasy about what is happening.
The lockers in the room were opened one by one, to reveal the gear and equipment for the students, complete with some boxes of ammo.
"...I knew it." Corrin stated. "There was an uneasy feeling in this place, like there is danger here... I guess this is it."
"Then what is it, Karin!?" Elma asked with some desperation in her voice.
"...We're summoned to battle, and it's a real battle." Corrin remarked.
"Quite right, Karin." Brixham stated, as the six of them turned to him. "If I were you all, I'd start getting ready."
"Wait, then where's Rain and the others!?" Isara exclaimed.
"There were reports of rebel aggression in the Arlem region. I suppose that Rain and the others found out about this earlier, and left to deal with them before they got serious. However, five men are not enough to suppress the rebel forces invading, legendary soldiers they may be." Brixham answered back. "The Lanseal Royal Military Academy is responsible for policing southern Gallia. It falls on us to address any threats that arise in our jurisdiction."
"But wait, that means..!" Zeri exclaimed.
"...We're fighting without any aid, and we are to expect none at all, is that right, Mr Brixham?" Isara asked back stoically.
"That is correct. I'm sure that you understand what is at stake here, Isara." Brixham confirmed.
"What!? But that's... We're not...!" Cosette stated.
"Two years after peace with the Empire, Gallia's defences are still ragged, considering that most of the army were KIA at Ghirlandaio." Brixham explained further. "Not to mention that the Militia can only be summoned against invasion. This is internal, and so the militia are forbidden to take up arms. This leaves only the unfortunate towns-watch of the various villages, and you cadets, the creme de la creme of Gallia's youth."
"But..." Cosette muttered.
"We have no choice." Corrin answered back, before turning to a silent Elma. "If we don't fight, then it'll just be Rain and the other four against an entire Rebel battalion. We may be young and inexperienced, but even so, sitting by and letting this happen is a choice that I'll refuse to make, and something that should never be done. I hope that you'll all do the same, because by not fighting, we condemn lives."
"...Rrgh..." Avan growled. "I guess there's no getting around it."
"Same here. I was prepared for when this would happen." Isara answered back. "I might not be the best soldier, but I will still fight with my best to help us survive this battle. Outside the Edelweiss or in it, it doesn't change who I am."
"Even though I have only learned a little here, I know enough to help the others... I'll go, and make sure that no-one will have to die fighting this cruel war..." Elma remarked.
"Very well. Then meet me at the briefing room with the others as soon as you're prepared to leave." Brixham stated, before he then left the room.
The group then made their way to the lockers, as they quickly packed up their gear and equipment, before grabbing their field suits and heading to the nearest change-room to get prepared for battle.
Inside the briefing room...
As soon as the last few students have arrived, Brixham entered the room, in front of the board with the mission details on it.
"Ready, then?" Brixham asked them all. "As class chair, command in the field falls to you, Avan. Hope that Miss Keppler's lesson taught you enough to lead your fellow students well."
"Right, I gotcha." Avan nodded back.
"Your mission today is to drive the rebel out of the Arlem region." Brixham stated. "Intel from our vanguard unit reports a tank within the enemy squad that we're engaging against."
"They've got a tank!? What do you expect a pack of foot soldiers to do-" Avan was about to complain, before he was beaned in the back of the head by Isara with the blunt end of the warpick. "Ow! Why did you do that, Isara?"
"Avan... Do you recall the purpose of the lancers?' Isara scowled at Avan, gesturing at the group of lancers from the class.
"Oh... right... But still. It's not going to be easy." Avan sighed. "I mean, just a while ago, I fought against the rebels with my friends and the local town guards... But that's just a few rebels. This is a entire battle here..."
"We have no choice. We lose, and not only we'll be dead, but people who had no place in this war will become inevitable causalities." Corrin answered back. "Avan, I know that you're not the most tactically adept person here, but I trust your command to lead us to victory without a single injury."
"You act like that I'm going to screw up! Fine! I'll get us through this without a scratch on any of you!" Avan exclaimed, before turning to the others. "You hear me!?"
"Heh heh. I look forward to it." Brixham stated, before he then threw a hand out. "Lanseal's bell has tolled. Squad G-7 move out!"
Inside the Arlem region...
The entire group of students managed to make their way to the outskirts of the town, as they passed by a group of fleeing Darcsens, one of them which was a young girl holding a familiar doll.
"Wait, that doll..." Isara remarked, before she then rushed over to the girl, who noticed her. "Where's Rain...!?"
"Rain... He... He and the others were inside the town a while ago. He found me and the other people, and told us to flee this direction. I don't know what's happened to him, but I hope that he makes it... I'm sure that this kind of fight wouldn't take down our own saviour..." The girl answered back.
"Don't worry, you'll be safe like before... We'll get into the battlefield. You all just quickly escape from here." Isara answered back.
The Darcsen girl nodded, before the crowd of dark-haired people moved away from the squad, while the squad made their way closer to the battlefield, where they found that the town was smoking, and on their way, they noticed the corpses of rebels, and the wrecks of their tanks. Not only that, but the sounds of gunfire and explosions meant that the battle was still ongoing.
"Is this... all Rain and his squad's doing...?" Zeri remarked. "It's no wonder that he was confident that they could hold the rebel forces at bay..."
"Still, to see this kind of carnage..." Cosette remarked. "This is truly awful!? How could anyone do any of this, attacking discriminated people for the purpose of culling them!?"
"That's just how it is. Treated like objects, just because they're Darcsens." Zeri growled. "It's a feeling that Rain and Isara must have dealt with before, and I despise this view greatly..."
"Hey, we've got incoming!" Reiner shouted. "Sounds like... one person?"
The entire group of students turned to the direction of the footsteps, where they saw Richard coming at them, holding Victoire in his hands.
"I made it..." Richard answered back, before he then stopped in front of them. "You've all made it here. That's good."
"Rain...?" Zeri asked back. "What are you doing here, sir?"
"You came here just in time. There's still a rebel squad inside the town. They're pushing their way towards the retreat point of the townspeople." Richard stated. "You'll all have to handle this alone, the others are engaging the rest of the main rebel forces of this invasion force, and I'll have to rush back to ensure that they won't be routed."
"How many?" Corrin asked back.
"Quite a lot, but far less than what we'll have to stand against. And yes, the tank is there, but it's the last one they have. Take it out, and their backbone is shattered, meaning that it'll be easy picking for the rest of you." Richard answered back. "I suppose that you guys have to fight this one."
"We'll never make it against a group that big. We're all going to die...!" Morris remarked with fear in his voice.
"Okay, everyone calm down. We'll all be fine. It'll work out, don't worry!" Avan tried to calm everyone down, as they were nervous at the idea of engaging in battle with the rebel squad.
"'It'll work out'? How can you say that with no grounds to back it up!?" Zeri snarled back.
"Hey, I've got grounds." Avan answered back. "'The most violent waves lay bare a man's worth the fastest'. Those are my brother's words. Now listen good all of you- We've come here to fight in order to save others. We're fortunate to be trained to fight as we are, for this kind of crisis. I know that I'm not the best fighter out of all of you, but I still believe that I'll use that power of mine to help others, who can't fight for themselves at the time being. It's our duty to fight for the civilians that have been threatened by all of this. We give up, and they're good as dead without us. We might not be fully soldiers yet, but we'll fight the same, and like I told Brixham... I won't let you guys get a single scratch fighting. Those are my grounds, Zeri. We're trained to fight, and we'll fight so that we'll make it out alive, and save everyone."
"You're right. We can do this, together!" Cosette added. "It's like Avan says. So long as we don't give up, there's still hope we can win this! Combat is scary, but we all have to fight and do our part for all of us to make it out without any causalities."
"I'm with you. I'm not ready for it to end here. I'll fight." Alexis stated.
"Just how exactly is that speech supposed to get us through this alive?" Zeri asked back.
"It won't, but having bad morale won't help us, Zeri. Surely you know that, do you?" Isara asked back.
"Even so, Isara, an appeal to emotion and duty? Yes, it helps morale, but morale won't stop a bullet from piercing our bodies." Zeri coldly answered back.
"So what!? You have a better plan, dude!?" Lotte shouted back.
"You heard what Rain said, destroy their commanding tank, and their morale and will to fight will be crushed. At that point, they'll either flee out of fear, or be mowed down by us. Either way, they're good as gone once we've taken their chain of command." Zeri answered back.
"Good thinking, Zeri. Although don't be so quick to judge the worth of a rallying speech. Avan's speech, although not the best there is, is effective enough to rouse spirits. And as for morale, morale is what drives a soldier, so it's as important as ammo and manpower." Richard stated. "Now then, since you guys aren't exactly familiar with the place, I'll tell you what we scouted from this place. There are two ways to get to the town. The first is the cavern to the east, and the frontal path that I just took to get there. Be expecting rebels in both locations and paths however, they're not dumb enough to leave a single area unguarded."
"Right, thanks teach!" Avan shouted back.
"You're welcome, Avan. I'll be watching you guys fight from our battlefield." Richard answered back. "Good luck to you guys."
Richard then turned away, and rushed back to where the rest of his team was, as Avan looked amongst the group.
"Right then, considering that I've got enough to make a plan on all of this, I suppose that it's time we make it to the battlefield!" Avan exclaimed. "Okay, guys! Let's get to work clearing the rebels outta here!"
Frontal Advance Team: Zeri, Cosette, Karin, Marion, Lotte
Cavern Team: Avan, Anisette, Isara, Elma, Noel
Inside the silo area...
The frontal advance team made their way to the field, as they checked around, before they found the rebel forces that were situated in front of them along the path.
"I've got this taken care of." Corrin answered back, before she then lowered her shield and slowly advanced, drawing fire from the rebels who noticed her, although the bullets only harmlessly pinged off the width of her shield, while still moving towards the rebels.
Zeri then noticed that there was a rebel Scout on top of one of the watchtowers, before turning to Lotte. "Lotte, take care of that scout, so that Karin can continue along her way."
"Got it!" Lotte shouted back, before she then made her way towards one of the sandbag covers, before she then aimed her rifle carefully. "Gallian girl attacks!"
She then fired several shots at the rebel scout with her rifle, as the shots hit the body, before the final one manage to hit the helmeted head of the scout, finishing him off, as he fell from his porch, and hit the ground with a thud.
"Death toll skyrockets... for the rebels!" Lotte cheered.
"My turn. Moving out!" Zeri shouted, before he then rushed forward after Karin, vaulting over one line of sandbags, and taking cover in the next one. He then rose up and aimed his sub-machine gun at the rebel forces ahead. "Hrraaah!"
His spray of rapid gunfire managed to kill one of the rebels, and severely injuring the other one besides him, before Zeri was forced to duck down and reload.
"Taking action!" Marion shouted, as she rushed onto the field, avoiding the gunfire coming from one of the remaining rebels, before then firing back at the shooter, killing him. "A clean hit!"
Karin then managed to make her way to the injured rebel, before she then swung the spiked part of her war-pick through the rebel's head, creating a sickening squelch, as the metal appendage smashed through the head of the rebel, before he then fell down, with a massive hole in his head that was leaking blood on the ground, which disturbed some of the students here.
"Oh god, that's one thing I want to censor!" Lotte remarked, before she then noticed that the last rebel was taking aim at Karin from her side. She then raised her rifle to fire. "Not on my watch!"
She then fired several shots, which managed to stop the rebel from firing, before a spray of fire from Zeri finished him off. Corrin noticed Lotte saving her from being shot, and turned back to her with a thankful smile.
"Many thanks for the assist, Lotte." Corrin answered back, before she then made her way to the enemy camp just nearby, and capturing it. "I suppose that we're clear to move on ahead."
"Right, we need to catch up to the others, in case they got to the town faster than we did." Zeri answered back.
Karin withdrew her warpick and held the shield in front of her, as the five of them continued through the silo area to the town.
During the same time, inside the caverns...
The group slowly advanced through the caverns, before they then heard the footsteps of the rebels, which prompted for Isara to raise a hand to halt them.
"I'll cover our advance... Anisette, could you come with me? I'll block the enemy gunfire, and you'll counter back with your weapon. Just crouch and I'll keep you protected." Isara whispered gently to the shocktrooper.
"Will do, darling!" Anisette answered back, before the two of them advanced slowly through the narrow passage through the caverns.
"We'll follow after them, quietly... Don't want to get some bad attention here..." Avan gently said as well.
As soon as Isara got into sight of the closest rebel, which was a stormtrooper, he then fired at Isara, who used the shield to block the attack, before Anisette sprung out and took him down with a close-range spray of gun-fire, which alerted the rest of the rebels, as they turned their direction, and fired at Isara. However, Isara's shield held strong, and Anisette took out any reloading rebels, before they managed to make their way to the camp.
"So, there! How's that for a brilliant performance!" Anisette taunted the defeated rebels.
"Are you alright, Isara?" Elma asked, finally catching up to the duo with the others.
"No worries, I'm unharmed. I suppose that we're likely to prove you true, right Avan?" Isara asked back.
"Yeah, looks like it's not so bad considering how things are going recently. I hope that the other guys are doing fine." Avan remarked.
The group soon made their exit from the caverns, but not before capturing the rebel camp for themselves, and letting Anisette restock her own ammo.
Inside the town...
The frontal advance team managed to make their way to the town, as they slowly advanced, before they then heard the sound of a thrumming engine. Zeri then peeked around the corner slowly, and saw the commanding rebel tank, with a few rebels on the other side of the bridge over the river, all of which were looking forward in their direction.
"Damn... They're expecting us to come from here... If we move out of here, even if Karin's shield protects us from the bullets, the tank shell will blow her to pieces..." Zeri stated.
Suddenly, the comms that the students were carrying crackled to life, as Zeri picked up his communicator.
"Hey guys, you guys made it?" Avan's voice, filled with some static, asked everyone.
"We've made it, without a scratch, Avan." Karin answered back. "Just like you said."
"Ha, take that, Brixham, how's that!" Avan cheerfully exclaimed, while Zeri grumbled angrily at Avan's gloating. "Don't worry, we're here in town as well. In fact, we're on our way to the eastern side of the town. Just hang in there, and we'll take care of the rest of them together!"
On the eastern side of the town, a lone rebel noticed the cavern team leaving the caves, before he reached for his weapon, before he was silenced by Avan firing a few shots to the head to silence him before he could even raise his weapon in time.
"Alright, Noel, you're up!" Avan told the beret-wearing girl. "Time to shine, girl!"
"I'm ready to go, Avan!" Noel shouted, before she then made her way slowly, while the others covered for here, before she then made her way from behind the command tank, with the radiator in view.
She then slowly prepped her lance, before she then grinned. "Here I go!" She shouted, before then firing the lance, which exploded right on the radiator, destroying the tank with a explosion, which startled the rebels in front of it.
"What the, where did that come from-" One of the rebels wanted to say.
"Now! Pincer attack them!" Zeri shouted into the comms, as his team rushed the rebels.
"I'm with you, Zeri! Everyone attack!" Avan shouted, before his team rushed out from behind the rebels.
"What the, they've surrounded us!?" The rebel exclaimed with horror, before the traded gunfire eradicated them down to the last man. "Guuahhh!"
"We did it, Zeri! We took out the rebels and the tank! And not a scratch on any of us even!" Avan exclaimed. "I guess I've done good enough, and you guys did the rest of the work spectacularly!"
"Victory is ours today. Good job, everyone!" Isara cheered.
"If only the others were here to see this..." Lotte remarked, before she then brightened up. "Oh, wait, this is good news! 'Squad G-7 slays the Rebels at Arlem'! A brilliant scoop, and one made by the hands of the reporter!"
"We did it, Avan!" Cosette remarked.
"'Course we did! I told you guys we could do this!" Avan shouted, before turning to Zeri. "And thanks, Zeri."
"For what?" Zeri asked back.
"For taking lead of the other team. I sort of heard what was going with your side of the field." Avan answered back.
"At least you have the decency to know who to use for the job. I'll admit this, you managed to do well to lead us this time." Zeri responded back. "But don't think that-"
"Don't you start now. It's Class G-7's first victory! How about a smile?" Avan answered back, before he then placed his gloved hands on the cheeks of Zeri, trying to turn the corners of the Darcsen's mouth up.
"Wha-!? Stop that! Get your muddy mitts off my face!" Zeri growled back, his mouth muffled from Avan covering part of his mouth.
"Ah ha ha ha! That looks like fun! Let me in, too!" Cosette answered back, before she then hugged Zeri from behind, and rubbing her own hands across the sides of his torso.
"No! S-Stop it, Cosette! Enough already, you two!" Zeri tried to shout in order to stop them both, although his tone was fairly flustered and also had hints of amusement and embarrassment in it.
"Don't be so sour, Zeri!" Isara responded back with a smile, before she then joined in the fun, as she ruffled Zeri's hair slightly. "It takes more muscles to frown than to smile, so it's not healthy to be grumpy all this time."
"Isara..." Zeri stated, before he then sighed. "I suppose that this was inevitable..."
The others waited around, before the comms buzzed on again, this time with Brixham's voice.
"Brixham here. We've confirmed the eradication of rebel forces from this area." Brixham answered back. "Hm hm! I'm pleased to say that you kept true to your promises, by the sounds of it. Perhaps there is hope for all of you to become talented soldiers yet. Class G-7, you are cleared to return to Lanseal. The instructors will be returning back as well."
Speaking of the instructors, the group of five managed to meet the sortied students inside the town, as they look far more dirtier and ragged than the others, yet there was not a single mark of injury on them.
"Well well, if it ain't our students." Richard stated with a smirk. "Looks like you've all proudly earned your victory here."
"I'm proud of all, managing to make it through all of this all safe and sound." Gus smiled back.
"Of course! We're not going to back down in this war!" Avan shouted back.
"Right then, let us return back to Lanseal. As a reward for your efforts, I'll give all of you some break-time to rest yourselves from this battle." Richard answered back. "Unless this battle has taken fairly little from you all."
"No, no, we're exhausted as it is!" Noel stated.
"Rain, come on..." Marisa moaned.
"Don't worry, I can see that." Richard stated, seeing the dirty-faced Zeri, who was silently glaring daggers at Avan for making his face dirty. "Alright, all forces, return to base!"
The students and instructors then made their way back to the academy, while collecting the rest of the undeployed students.