Unmei Force Solitary Legends: Eternal Embers
Chapter 11: Protecting Doerfin
Inside of the medical ward...
Richard stepped inside of the medical ward of the campus, as he's heard news that Juliana wanted to see him, considering that it has been a while since the chair of Class A had awakened from her near-fatal injuries. Looking around the entire room, he noticed that the medical ward was filled with much less people, to both his relief and dismay, relief because it meant that causalities remain low, even after the attack on the campus, but also grief, as he knew that some of the people here have either died mid-operation, or their injuries were too severe to fix with the current technology, and thus were mercifully euthanized to relieve them of their suffering.
Fortunately for Richard, it was considered to be a last resort, and even then, a choice that the patient themselves made, and there was only a few cases out of the many that required such measures. He also felt a sense of relief in his heart, knowing that Juliana was not one of them. In fact, it took Sanae a month to use both her medical knowledge, with the help of Reisen, and some healing magic slipped in with the operation, to succeed in stabilising the girl, but she succeeded nonetheless. Now, all that was left for Richard, was to visit her himself, as he felt that he deserved to explain to Juliana everything.
He passed by the various beds in the ward, as most of them were either empty, or occupied by patients of varying degrees, the worst being the ones who suffered gunshot wounds. It took him a while, as he passed by the various members of the facility, before he then stopped right before Juliana's ward, as the curtains were closed.
"This is Rain, I'm here to visit Juliana." Richard stated firmly, before the curtains were parted open by the medical staff member tending to the girl.
Richard then came inside, as Juliana's eyes were still tinted red, and her facial veins were still bulging, although it was much less noticeable, as the bulging began to shrink, and there were patches on her arms, where the energy veins were attached through. He then looked at the girl herself, as she looked fairly frail in her current state, although it was physically obvious, as her skin colour was fresh, and her body didn't show any signs of exhaustion or weakness. She then looked at Richard slowly, before she then let out a faint smile.
"Instructor..." She muttered softly, almost like a whisper, as Richard came over to her.
"You called for me here, Juliana." Richard responded back, before he then turned to the medical staff member. "Would you mind if we just talk with each other alone for a moment? You can wait outside the curtains, if you're concerned about her health."
The medical staff member nodded, before he then exited the ward, closing the curtain behind him, although his faint silhouette was behind the curtain from where Richard was. Richard then took a seat on one of the chairs nearby, as he slowly folded his arms.
"You look like as if you've shook off the side-effects of becoming an artificial valkyria." Richard told Juliana, as he examined her face, seeing the slightly bulging veins, his eyes looking for any signs of maladies on the class chair. "Well, except for a few things, but I'm sure that they're not causing problems for you, like constant pain and a dull ache."
"Well, it happened for a few days when I came to..." Juliana admitted, as she looked to the side, before then back at Richard, and then nodded in agreement. "But all it took for a few more days for that to go away. I feel like I'm fit as ever, if not more than before."
"That's interesting." Richard remarked with a gentle nod, before he then scooted closer. "I suppose that being an artificial valkyria means that your body changes to fit it. However, I feel like you didn't call me here, just to tell me all that right?"
"No, there is more important things I wanted to talk about." Juliana replied back, before she then moved her arms slightly under the cover of the sheets. "Instructor Rain... Do you know the fate of those in my class?"
"...They are all safe and sound, with only minor injuries from the attack." Richard declared, before his tone turned grim. "All except one..."
"Who... Who was it?" Juliana asked back, as her eyes were slightly open hearing that, as she was looking like that she wasn't going to like the answer.
"...It's Wagner." Richard answered back, before he then bowed his head slightly, and his tone become solemn. "I don't know at what point of the battle this occurred, but he seemed to look like that he was guarding something. Perhaps it was one of your own class. I wouldn't have known, if those who were checking the causalities didn't state it to me. He died fighting on his feet, and gun raised. If it was any consolation, there were also many rebel corpses from where he was... His last stand was a worthy one."
There was a quiet silence, as Juliana let those words sink in to her mind, before she then lowered her head, as tears ran down her cheek, as she wiped them away silently, not wanting to cry before Richard. Richard felt a sense of sympathy for the class chair, as she was utterly hurt inside her heart, and tried her best to remain calm.
"Wagner... Why did it have to be you...?" Juliana muttered with a shaky voice. "I know that you're angry for me losing the Laevatein Finals, but you supported me even outside of all the fighting... You didn't have to die..."
"I'm sorry... We tried our best to save everyone, but it was only fortune that one class was completely annihilated, and only several classes has suffered a considerable loss in their numbers. You and Class G-7 are the luckiest ones here, out of all of this." Richard declared with a solemn tone, before he then sucked in a breath. "And if we didn't manage to save your life before it faded away... You would have been one more death, and one that will bring large amounts of grief."
"I... I know... But I..." Juliana responded back, as she didn't know what to say, as she then pressed a hand to the side of her head, taking a moment to calm herself down, before continuing with the conversation. "I suppose that I am already fortunate enough to be saved, when I could have just died back then, thanks to the help of Class G-7 and instructor Sally..."
"We don't let lives die in vain." Richard responded back. "You should know that, as part of the legendary squad of heroes, Squad 7."
"I know... It's just that..." Juliana chuckled lightly, as she found Richard's words amusing, before she then frowned again and sighed. "Is there nothing I can do from here? Am I going to spend the rest of this war contained inside here, lying day to day, without any power to help anyone?"
"Don't be so melodramatic." Richard responded back with a hopeful tone, as Juliana turned her head towards him with a surprised look on her face. "You're almost making a full recovery. When that happens, you will be able to lead your class again, although you'll be recommended against fighting on the front lines in this current state."
"If I can help, then I am willing to bear that price." Juliana replied back, with a determined tone. "I might not be able to fight, but I can still use what I can to lead. Avan proved that the leader doesn't have to be strong, in order to lead their men right. Class A trusted me, and thanks to Zeri, their trust in me deepened, and I saw what was wrong about my own ways of fighting a battle."
"I'm glad to hear that. Although there will be a time where you must fight." Richard answered back, before his tone turned much more serious. "Your artificial valkyria powers are still there, but the only way we can tap into them, is to get you back into the same equipment that you sortied out in the defence with, and it'll take a toll on your body. We haven't decided on a right time to use that measure, but I wanted to warn you about it, out of care for you and as a way to partially atone for what I did to you, by telling you everything in honesty."
Richard then leaned back a little on his chair. "...I will tell you this, Juliana... You don't have to use those powers if you do not wish to use them." He continued. "You have all the right to make your own choice whether you use this power or not, considering that doing so would spell your demise from prolonged use. All you have to say is that you refuse to use the power, and as one of the people currently with the highest authority here, excluding Brixham himself... I can ensure that no-one challenges that choice."
"But you know that I won't back down, do you?" Juliana asked back, as Richard was silent, and slowly pressed his hands together, listening carefully, while Juliana sat herself straight up. "I know that the reason I acquired this power is cruel and immoral, and that it brings fresh bouts of agony to use this mighty power that has been implanted within me... But even after I have barely managed to escape with my life... I will risk it again to save Gallia. If I am to die, then let it be paving the way for the others to end the fight. I will have no regrets dying."
"Not even with Zeri?" Richard questioned back, raising his head to give Juliana a glare, as Juliana turned silent hearing those words. "You saw it yourself, Zeri has affection for you, he did not wish to see you die before him. He begged for me to save you, although your life was in Sanae's hands. You cannot die, especially when you have the love of someone, a love that you returned strongly. Love makes you do foolish things, such as try to kill yourself. I implore you... I'll tell you when your power is needed, and your life will not be a part of the price for peace. I swear it."
"You are too kind, instructor..." Juliana chuckled, before she then leaned back down on the bed, as she let her eye-lids droop down. "If the time comes me to use that power of mine... Tell me, and I'll stand with everything I have within me. As not just the future head of House Everhart, but as the only artificial valkyria who will fight for the peace of the country."
"That I will... Rest well, you'll need your strength." Richard answered back, before he then got up and left the ward, passing by the medical staff member, who went back in to check on his patient.
He then left the ward, as he didn't pay much attention to where he was heading, his mind filled with thoughts about what he'll do in the near future, especially considering that Baldren is much more dangerous, if the intel he got from the captured rebels was sufficient enough to prove his doubts.
In the drill grounds...
Anisette was practising her dance routine, under Richard's watchful eyes, as her feet were steady on the sandy ground, as she did a few solo routines, which involved a fair bit of spinning and turning on her feels, as she did a lot of hand-waving with her movements, and her stepping was quite fast-paced, moving about her little 'stage' quite a lot. She even managed to leap into the air several times, as if mimicking a graceful ballerina.
She managed to finish her routine with a double-spin,and then posing with a side-lunge, arms extended out, with her left arm reaching for the skies, while her right arm was ahead, as she gave a teasing wink and smile. "How did I do, instructor?" She asked cheerfully, holding the pose for a few moments, before she then stood back up straight.
"Not bad, not bad. I'd say that you've made leaps and bounds improving your dance routine." Richard remarked with a smile, as he clapped, quite impressed at Anisette's dance routine, which was very much different to the slow and waltz-like movements that would be expected from someone like her. "You didn't miss much of your steps and poses, but those are just minor fixes. You're all set for the stage."
"I did it! Oh, Rain darling, I finally did it!" Anisette exclaimed, before she then tackled Richard with a tight-hug.
"Of course, you even mastered the couples routine with me. I'd say mostly because you're good at following another one's rhythm, and mimicking your partner's actions, which the routine mostly does." Richard remarked, returning the hug, before he then slowly eased Anisette off him. "I suppose that you're happy with how you are now?"
"I see a breakneck montage of those weeks of training whenever I close my eyes, and its all worth it to be this great in my dancing." Anisette remarked, as she looked over into the sky, as if thinking about something, before then turning back to Richard. " But this is no time to dwell on the sacrifice. Today, after school, my sister will be arriving!"
"Then it's a good thing that I've already planned for this." Richard answered back with a grin, before then grabbing Anisette's hand. "Follow me."
Anisette was confused, although she trusted Richard, as they made their way through the path back to the campus. They moved inside of it, before they stopped right at the centre of the courtyard, as something was erected on it, which actually made Anisette completely shocked with awe and surprise. Right before the two of them, was a makeshift stage, which almost looked like the one made for the festival, with the black curtains, metal arches, and hanging ragnite-powered lights to shine spotlights on the stage.
"Ta-da~!" Richard cheerfully exclaimed. "Like it? It took a fair bit out of my wallet to commission the job, but we've got your best stage here. Not only that, but I've convinced a lot of people to come here as your audience, since this will be a event of fun and entertainment to let our minds off all of this bloody warfare. Hope you don't have stage fright, because you're going to be the centre of attention for a lot of people!"
Anisette was utterly overcome with emotion, as she didn't know whether to break down crying, or scream in pure joy, all while her body was trembling with emotion. After a while, she did both, as she let out a loud reverberating cry of joy, as rivers of tears ran down her eyes, and she was so emotional, that her own voice was muffled by her tears and snot.
"Waahhh... T'ank you instructooorrr...! I'm swo... swo happery... I cwan't... stop cryiiiinnnnnggg!" Anisette wept loudly, as she buried her head in Richard's chest.
"Alright, alright, there's no need to cry it out like that." Richard soothed Anisette. "You've got the stage to impress your sister on, just don't become so emotional that you're unable to dance, that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?"
Anisette then gently nodded, as she let her tears stop flowing, before she then sniffed a few times.
"I promise that I won't let that all go to waste...! I'll blow everyone's minds off with my dance!" Anisette declared with passion, before she then rushed back to her dorms.
Richard then smiled, before he then walked away, as he wondered about what would happen at Anisette's concert in the night, expecting something brillaint to happen at that moment.
At night...
A lot of students were gathered by the stage, as Anisette peeked out of the curtains for a moment, as she could see the sea of students gathered around to watch her performance, whether to lift their spirits, or to support their classmate, in Class G-7's case, and to see how her sister was doing, for a certain Edy Nelson. Anisette then sucked a deep breath, before she turned to Richard, who was behind the curtains with her, as he was dressed in what seemed like to be fitting clothing for him in this event, dressed in a black coat with a white shirt underneath it, black jeans, and leather cloaks on his feet.
"Now's your time to shine, Anisette." Richard told Anisette, as he moved her to give her a few encouraging pats on the back. "You know you saw your sister in the crowd, so now's your chance to show her how far you've went with your dancing routine. I'll be preparing to announce your arrival on stage. Take your time to smooth the butterflies in your stomach, so that you don't accidentally fumble out of peer pressure."
"No Nelson is going to let stage fright take hold of her! If my sister is in the crowd, then I've got all the more reason to stand strong and dance with everything I have!" Anisette exclaimed strongly, spirit burning in her eyes. "Just you watch, I'll make my sister proud, and knock everyone's socks off with my performance."
"That I believe you will." Richard then stated, before he then looked out of the curtain for a moment. "Time for me to take the stage."
Richard then walked to the front of the stage, as the lights turned on, to reveal Richard at the centre of it, as he was standing straight, keeping a formal posture during his introduction.
"Welcome, students and staff of Lanseal. I would like to thank you oh so gratefully for attending this little concert of mine." Richard spoke majestically, before bowing dramatically before the crowd. "Now, as you all know, it is a real shame that the summer festival was interrupted by a attack by the rebels. Unfortunately, we cannot risk another large event like that in these dire times, but I do understand the stress and depression that you all feel marching on the battlefield, risking your lives for the war. So please, enjoy this little concert, where you will see the idol of Class G-7 herself, Anisette Nelson perform her dance number. I hope that it will lift everyone's spirits, reminding them of a time of peace and joy that we all fight for. Thank you, and enjoy the performance."
Richard then retreated back the stage, before he then prepared a small powered radio, quickly tuning it to the right channel for the music accompaniment to Anisette's dance. Anisette looked back at Richard, before she then readied herself for the final time, closing her eyes, imagining herself dancing before the very country itself, something that she hopes to achieve. When her eyes opened again, she was determined to dance, as she stepped out of the curtain, revealing herself.
Anisette was dressed quite like a majestic dancer, as she was dressed in a frilly blue dress, and had jewelled bracelets on her arms. Her waist was covered a moderately-long skirt, so as not to obstruct her dancing, and she was wearing black stockings where polished blue boots. She also had small diamond-shaped earrings on her ears, and her hair-ribbon changed with a glistening dark blue one, which had golden markings on it. She looked at the audience, before she then slowly positioned herself to begin.
Soon, the music played through from behind the curtains, as Anisette began to dance, using her dance moves one after the other, as her dancing was quite vigorous, having her moving around the spot quite a lot, with her legs and arms swinging with a lively feeling behind them, yet they retained the grace of a dancer, as her movements were smooth and flowing, as she stomped her heels several times on the ground according to beat, as she struck various poses, for one part of her routine. She even snapped her fingers along with the beat for the other routine, as she skidded her heels across the ground.
Eventually, the music reached a climax, as her dancing became faster and faster, before she then finished off with a long spin, which concluded with her pose, as the last note of the song was played. At that same moment, the lights dimmed out for a while, before the audience began to clap and roar in applause at her amazing dance. When the lights came back on, Anisette was facing them, as she bowed several times to the various audience, a proud smile on her lips.
"Thank you, thank you!" Anisette thanked the audience. "I'm truly glad that you've been a very good audience for me. Being a rising star is quite difficult, and I never thought that I would receive such adoration and applause from all of you. However, the reason I stand on this stage, is not just only because of my own talent, however good it was."
She then pointed back behind the curtains. "I would like to thank my instructor, Rain Craider himself, for being my willing and famed coach for my dancing!" Anisette continued. "So please, instructor, come out and receive your share of the applause as well!"
Richard was surprised, as he quickly left the curtains, as he was receiving his fair share of the applause as well, as he just simply smiled and accepted it, bowing to the audience silently as a gesture of respect. He then grabbed Anisette's hand, before they then made a final bow together, as the audience let out a much more lively cry in response. After their farewells were done, they retreated behind the curtains, as the lights dimmed away, and the students began to talk amongst each other.
Meanwhile, behind the stage, Anisette was in utter disbelief at how successful her performance was, as she was biting her lip, to avoid bursting out in utter joy.
"I did... I really did it..." Anisette muttered gently. "That has got to impress my sister... She can't possibly not see how proud I did her back on the stage..."
"It's alright... You've done truly well. I'm sure that Edy would definitely be rushing up to you-" Richard assured Anisette, before he saw Edy rushing up behind the stage, with her arms open, as if about to embrace Anisette tightly, with a euphoric expression on her face, looking much more different than what she was two years ago, her twin-tails fully grown out, and her hair ribbon changed to a much more larger white one, and she was wearing a long white dress, and a blue necklace around her neck. "Speak of the girl, and she shall come!"
Edy then rushed over, before tackling Anisette with a deep hug, as she let out a hum of utter joy and bliss, while the younger sister was left stunned, as she didn't know what to do.
"Oh, Anisette! That's was simply magnificent!" Edy exclaimed, as she held Anisette closer to her when she said that. "You've truly toughened up a bit, and I don't just mean muscle. What you showed out there, it proved that you were absolutely serious about becoming a star!"
"Sister...! You're being a little too... tight..." Anisette groaned, as her sister's hug was too tight for her to handle.
"Well, I'm sure that you've received your fair share of pride for your sister then, do you, Edy?" Richard smirked back, as he let the two Nelson sisters have their close and personal family moment, as Edy raised her head to look at Rain.
"Oh, Rain... You truly are a real saint, watching over my little sister and ensuring that she's going to become a star like me!" Edy remarked with a gentle tone. "How long has it been, since I've seen your glorious handsome face on the battlefield, fighting with dear Welkin and the others? You should know that I'm also one of the people who helped to bring an end of the war with the Empire, as the squad's idol!"
"I know... You've done a bit of work to help out." Richard smiled back, although there was less supportive thoughts in his head. 'Come on, Edy... You've only been out for a few missions, and your only significant feat was helping to destroy the Batomys. Ah well, at least she's not as much as a bitch that she originally was in canon, thanks to a little bit of help from the girls back in the war...'
"Either way, I would feel guilty for my own sister, if I didn't repay that spectacular performance. Ooh, how about a song?" Edy suggested, before she then released Anisette, allowing her to move away a bit to get some personal space.
"Ooh, would you?! Oh please!" Anisette exclaimed cheerfully, as her hands was clasped under her chin, her eyes glistening with adoration for her sister's song.
Richard mentally made the proper preparations, as he silently muffled his own ears with wind magic, so that he won't have to deal with the torture that is Edy's singing, yet he did believe that there might be a chance that Edy's singing won't be like the demonic screeches of hell that canon had, and actually sounds decent, as he prayed for that possibility to occur.
"Only for you, Anisette. How could I say no? Now then, here we go..." Edy answered back, before she then sucked in a deep breath, and clearing her throat a few times, before actually singing. "You stoooood... Always smiiiliiing... Ever quiet, ever tender..."
Richard paid attention to Edy's singing, as he braced himself for her... decent singing? He was confused by the fact, as Edy's voice sounded much better than before, and actually sounded like proper singing, although her tone was still a bit off. Not only that, he was a bit miffed that Edy was ripping Rosie's own song off.
"Oh, sister. As always, your voice is revolutionary!" Anisette remarked, as she didn't seem to be concerned about Edy's singing the slightest.
"So, how did my song go, Rain? Did it grace your ears with the touch of angels?" Edy pridefully declared.
"Well, you've definitely improved over the years, but you're not close enough yet. Keep practicing and you'll reach a level that'll make Rosie jealous of your singing." Richard remarked, before then walking over to her. "Oh, and one more thing..."
"Yes, Rain?" Edy asked, before she was suddenly assaulted by Richard tugging one of her ears tightly, as she was flailing about, with a distressed expression. "Augh! What are you doing, let me go!"
"I do like to remind that you're plagiarising Rosie's song." Richard answered back firmly. "It's not even public yet, so you're only going to end up with a scandal if you try doing that. Am I clear?"
"Ow! Ow! Alright, I'll do it!" Edy pleaded, before Richard let go of her, as she nursed her ear with her hands. She then turned back to Edy with a smile on her face. "I hope someday soon we'll have the chance to take to the stage together!"
"I look forward to it! Do take care, Edy!" Anisette responded back with sisterly care, as Edy then left the stage. She then placed a fist in front of her, clenching it with determination. "I swear, Edy! One day I'll perform the same way you do!"
"Well, you've got a long way to get there." Richard remarked with a gentle chuckle, before then placing a hand on Anisette's back. "Now then, I suppose that you're tired after dancing your heart out. Let me do you a favour and escort you back to your rooms, like a proper host does for his actresses."
"Really? Thank you!" Anisette responded back with a happy tone, before the two of them left the stage, ready to turn in for the night.
Inside the staff faculty office...
Avan and Nichol were gathered together before Brixham, as he was holding a mission file in his hands, with Gus beside him, looking back at Nichol with a assuring look in his eyes. The timid student looked at his class chair first, then at Brixham, who was studying the file in his hand, then back at Gus, whose look of assurance calmed him down slightly.
"Avan, I have urgent orders for your deployment." Brixham stated, before lowering the file onto the table. "A small cadre of rebels are marching through the Daws Desert region. You have to take that vanguard force out before reinforcements arrive. It's a stealth operation, to prevent the enemy from catching onto our movements. You and one other person will sortie at 0100 hours. But I suppose that you've already made your choice, by the looks of it."
"So it's just two of us to take them all out?" Avan remarked, before wrapping an arm around Nichol, who was slightly startled, while the confident class chair smirked widely. "Well, if it's going to be someone who will support and cover my back, then there's no better person than Nichol himself. I mean, dude's a real marksman with all those precise shots he makes! He'll be enough to take care of the mission!"
"Right, then I'll await you at that time." Brixham responded back, before returning to his duties taking a seat, while Gus walked up to meet with the students.
"There... A mission that should certainly earn your right for a Lanseal Medal of Honour." Gus remarked. "It's a good thing that I found a suitable mission that requires elites with the proper expertise to complete. And I thank you for bringing Nichol with you, Avan, it'll certainly prove that he's suitable for the mission."
"No problems, instructor!" Avan exclaimed back, as he looked quite pleased with the situation, since it's helping a classmate in need for something. "I'm just simply picking the right guys for the job, and we both know it! Hey Nichol, this could be a good chance to earn that medal you're looking for!"
"Yes, sir. I'll do my best." Nichol responded back with a devoted tone, snapping a salute at Gus, before he and Avan left the room.
Gus then silently hoped for the best, as he would be unable to help out Nichol at this point, but he also had strong faith in the student's abilities, as he was more capable than he took credit for.
At early morning...
Gus waited at the campus gates, as he expected for the return of both Avan and Nichol, who were sortied out for the mission a few hours ago. He knew that the mission was not going to be quite quickly done, and the desert was fairly far, but each moment he waited, leaning on the side of the entrance gate, it made him a little bit more nervous.
After a while, he was about to return to the campus itself, before he then heard the sound of distant footsteps approaching him, as he turned around, and saw Avan and Nichol running along the bridge, as they looked fairly fatigued and sandy from their trek through the desert, but otherwise unharmed. He sighed a breath in relief, before gesturing the both to come in, as he opened the entry gates, allowing the two students to re-enter the campus.
After they were inside, and Gus closed the gates, he then turned to them. "How was the mission?" Gus inquired from the both of them.
"A real piece of cake! They didn't know what hit them, when Nichol shot them from the darkness itself!" Avan exclaimed, recounting the mission. "Man, all I had to do is lure out one of the rebels hiding in the grass, and Nichol took care of the rest so smoothly. Dude really carried the weight for this mission!"
"I'm merely glad that I did my best for the mission." Nichol answered back modestly, bowing his head slightly.
"Well, in either case, we need to tell Brixham the good news." Gus smiled back, before he then led them towards the faculty office. "The rebels are not going to be making their way through Daws Desert with the threat of us looming over them."
In the faculty office...
"...And that's the entire report that the two of them gave me." Gus recounted the mission to Brixham, with Avan and Nichol beside, before he then crossed his arms. "I'd say that the two had executed the mission flawlessly, considering the enemy has no clue on who attacked them exactly, and complete eradication of the enemy vanguard."
"I see. Avan Hardins. Nichol Martin." Brixham responded back, before he then produced two sets of round medals with a blue base and golden crest of Lanseal on it, the ribbon being striped blue and white. "Thanks to your efforts, it seems we've stemmed the rebels' advance. As such, there is a pair of Lanseal Medals of Honour here for you."
"Are you serious!?" Avan exclaimed, as he took his medal, and donned it around his neck, all with a excited look on his face. "That's awesome, Brixy!"
"Th-Thank you, sir!" Nichol thanked Brixham, as he slowly grabbed his medal, and pocketed it, being much more humble than his wild class chair.
"Alright, both of you take a moment to have a power-nap. You both deserve it." Gus advised the two of them, as the students nodded back, fairly tired from their mission, as they decided to head to the dorms to rest themselves a little.
In the drill grounds...
"Instructor... I cannot thank you for giving me the chance to obtain this Medal of Honour." Nichol thanked Gus, as the two of them were standing in the middle of the field, just finishing a round of scout drills. "I'd never have gotten it without your help in suggesting this mission for me."
"That is right, I merely suggested the mission. You were the one who put the effort to earn it rightfully." Gus nodded back. "I assume that you're planning to give it to the one you promised to show it to?"
"Th-That's the plan... I just hope that she'll accept it." Nichol replied back, before he then heard the sound of the next class coming in, which was the stormtrooper group, as Nichol's eyes fell upon Francas. "...Ah!"
Nichol then rushed up to Francas, quickly pulling out the recently-earned medal to show to his sister, as she stopped on her tracks. Gus looked at the scene, as his lips curled into a faint smile, as he expected that Nichol wanted the medal to prove himself to his sister, who constantly berated him.
"Franca! Um, I... I wanted you to have this." Nichol told his sister shyly, trying to keep a straight face, before she took the medal from his hands and inspected it closely.
"The Lanseal Order of the Holy Bell? Nichol, where did you get this?" Franca asked back, looking back at Nichol with a surprised look on her face.
"Avan and I went on a two-man mission just after midnight yesterday." Nichol responded back, as he closed his eyes, and continued with a truthful tone, although his expression wavered a little, worried that he might get chewed out by his sister again. "We just received them from Mr. Brixham himself. So I... Your birthday is coming up, and I wanted you to have this.
"Nichol..." Franca remarked, as there was a noticeable trace of warmth in her voice and eyes.
"I know I always cause you to worry, but I promise I'll do better." Nichol responded back, before giving off a hopeful smile to his own sister, a strong will appearing behind his eyes. "I'll become the sort of man who can keep you safe. I'll be stronger!"
"Nichol... I..." Franca replied back, as her expression was twisted with worry and disbelief, before she then creased her face, and turned away quickly, before pocketing the medal, and silently continuing with the rest of the group.
"Franca... Did I... Did I do something... wrong?" Nichol asked back, as his heart felt hollow, not getting a response from his sister, looking quite down after a while.
"No, it's more like that she doesn't know what to say." Gus interjected, as Nichol turned to his instructor, who had a calm yet caring expression on his face. "I expected that you would have given that medal to your own sister, and I'm proud that you mustered up the courage to give it to her."
"But she... She didn't say anything... What if I truly angered her with what I have done?" Nichol asked back with worry in his voice, as his own body was trembling slightly in fear and concern.
"All I can say, is that she needs time. As a brother, you need to understand that." Gus answered back with a sagely tone. "But I can assure you, she can't react negatively, with how she said her part in all of this. She just can't say it out right now."
"If that's what you believe, sir..." Nichol muttered back. "Instructor, I want to tell you something... Franca and I are not related by blood."
"You're not?" Gus asked with intrigue, raising a eye-brow. "Do please explain why you have such a great sibling bond with her then, that you would treat like like a sister in blood then?"
"Because I really love her, in the term of sibling love." Nichol answered back, as his tone was quite powerful and bold. "She's stern, but she has always looked after me, since we were children. But she doesn't know that I was her adopted sibling... I only knew from overhearing my parents. She thinks of me as her real younger brother, even if the way she treats me raises concerns from others... So I can't shatter her heart by telling her this..."
"Then don't... There is always a right time to say such things." Gus comforted Nichol with a warm smile, as the student felt like that Gus felt the same way about the matter as he did. "Perhaps when you have acquired the strength to protect her as you promised... I would think that it might be a opportune time to show that your love for her transcend blood-lines."
"Thank you for the advice..." Nichol smiled meekly back, before he then turned to leave. "I'm just happy to be her brother, no matter what."
As Nichol left the drill grounds, Gus then took the moment to mutter something to himself, as he found Franca's behaviour to be fairly odd.
"Strange... If I known Francas well enough from how she expresses her disdain for her brother outside in the public, she wouldn't be so receptive of Nichol's actions." Gus muttered to himself, as he paced through the grounds in a small loop. "I feel like that she's the kind of person who would act with tough love to Nichol, but she just walked away... why though...?"
"I can explain that." Richard suddenly stated, as Gus heard the voice behind him, which startled him, causing him to stumble around and face Richard.
"Argh, Rain... Don't frighten me like that!" Gus exclaimed, as he quickly calmed himself down, before focusing on what Richard stated. "What do you mean you can explain what I was muttering about?"
"You're wondering why Franca isn't as cold as you expected to be." Richard answered back, before he then smiled deviously. "Well, let's just say that I had a long talk with her, about the problems she has with her brother."
"How did you interrogate her?" Gus asked back, as he was suspicious about how Richard dealt with Francas's attitude. "She didn't seem to be the most easy-going person from what I have seen."
"I found her weak-point regarding that: Her attitude is tough love on Nichol." Richard answered back. "I merely convinced her that she is taking the matter too far, and that her worries about her brother being thrown into a impossible mission and dying horribly is exaggerated. It took me a few tries to convince her to stop this, but she's trying now."
"So silence is better than chiding Nichol?" Gus responded back with a irritated tone, throwing an arm out, with narrowed eyes. "Rain... Nichol was nervous because she held her silence, he's used to being chided, because it makes him aspire to be better for her. You can't just-"
"I know. But she'll end up driving Nichol to a corner if she keeps up her attitude." Richard interrupted firmly. "Besides, Nichol will be hearing from his sister with a better and more agreeable attitude very soon. So don't worry about it."
Gus's lip was creased with worry, although seeing the serious look in Richard's eyes, he didn't dare to question the matter further, as he silently left the field, as Richard watched him for a while, then returning to supervising the drill session.
In the classroom...
The classroom was quite lively, as there were several conversations occurring, with the chatter filling the room with a lot of noise, that made it hard to hear a specific conversation, unless a person was very close to it.
One of them involved Coleen and Marisa, as they were talking at the corner of the classroom, as Marisa looked like that she got something to share with Coleen, while Coleen looked like that she had the same thing as well. They looked at each other, before Marisa gestured for Coleen to start off.
"Hey, Instructor... I wanted to ask a favour." Coleen stated to Marisa, as she gave Marisa a gentle nod as thanks for letting her lead the conversation. "I think I'm ready to tell the crush how I feel. But I'm still feeling scared, so... I just really need some help."
"Help... how?" Marisa asked back, before she smiled gently. "Because I have something to tell you, I've found out what our next mission will be. Tell me, are you preparing to find some moonglow for your crush?"
"Yes. I've promised myself I'll confess to him once I've found it." Coleen responded back, with a gentle nod, looking fairly anxious.
"I'm glad that you're willing to commit." Marisa responded back with praise, before she then placed a hand on Coleen's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll help you find it. Consider it a bit of teacher-student bonding there. I'm coming down for the mission. Since the mission coming right now, is just about the right place at the right time, Daws Desert at nighttime... We can see for ourselves if the myth about moonglow is true or not. If you ask me, I believe that we can find it, if we really look for it."
"Thanks, instructor. I really do feel like I have to find some!" Coleen remarked with a hopeful tone, as she was ready to start her search for the moonglow.
"Don't thank me yet, we haven't even started yet." Marisa smirked back, as she straightened up a little. "Just give it some time, you'll see that the mission is just right for you."
Meanwhile, at the same time, on another end of the room, Raymond was sitting down in his chair, looking fairly gloomy, as he was unsure about his unit class choice, and tried to not feel sad and depressed about, although Elma could see that his mood was quite down. She then walked over, as she tapped the large student on the shoulder to get his attention, as Raymond turned his head towards the young girl.
"Raymond... You're not worried about being an engineer, right?" Elma asked, concern in her voice.
"N-no, I... I'm just..." Raymond meekly responded back, as he tried to shake his head to deny it.
"Don't be afraid of what you are, Raymond." Elma answered back with determination, giving Raymond a gentle comforting pat on his wide back. "I helped you to learn in controlling your strength when doing your duties. And you're learning quite well, and looking at you so determined to do it right... I'm sure that you can't possibly be criticised for doing what your role specifies, now that you're doing a lot better than before."
"B-But all I do is cause trouble as an engineer... I don't know if your help worked on me..." Raymond answered back, unconvinced by Elma's words.
"You can't make others happy, if you can't be happy yourself. That's something that was taught to me long ago." Elma incited, speaking with a solemn tone. "You don't have to be sad that you're not doing things right. At least you're trying to be better for everyone else. Besides, I feel like that there is some things that you can do with your physique, that no-one else can, that's how you find your purpose as engineer."
"Y-You think so?" Raymond asked back, feeling a bit more happier and confident.
Suddenly, Brixham then strode into the room, before then taking his place behind the teacher's desk.
"We've received a request for backup from Class C-12. You'll deploy at once, in order to meet up with them. It will be nighttime by the time we arrive, and you're up against a rebel armoured division. Expect a difficult fight." Brixham announced. "Get careless out there, and you could easily be wiped out. I want you fully prepared before you meet me in the briefing room."
"W-Wiped out!?" Raymond exclaimed, before he then quickly stood up, turning to Elma. " E-Elma! Please! L-Let me come with you this time! I need to convince Avan to bring me!"
"Don't worry, I'm sure he will." Elma stated, before holding Raymond's hand. "Come on, we need to get there. I'll convince the group that you're coming with."
The two engineers immediately made their way to the door, just as the rest of the class moved into action, preparing to sortie. Coleen heard what Brixham said, before turning back to Marisa, who gave her a confident smirk, a look of 'I told you so' written across her face. Coleen then smiled gently back, before she then followed the rest of the group, as Marisa also followed after her student.
In the hallways...
Corrin was making her way to class, as she just came back from another class in another section of the campus, before she bumped into Morris, who looked like that he was in a hurry, looking for her.
"Karin!" Morris exclaimed, before he then stopped before her, with a pleading expression on his face. "I have one last favour to ask of you, I promise. Can I ask you to help me? I want to go get some of the moonglow that Cosette was talking about... What do you say? Would it be a bother for you-"
"No, it won't be a bother." Corrin assured Morris with a gentle nod and a soft look in her eyes "You've done nothing wrong in asking me. In fact, I'd be most glad to help you find the flower for you."
"Right... I promised myself that I would tell her how I feel once I get it." Morris remarked, before he then placed a hand on his chest. "I wanted to be strong, and that means not just giving up."
"I know, and you've done well. However..." Corrin answered back, as her tone shifted to a much more solemn one, and she frowned gently. "It was said that moonglow can only be harvested and seen at the Daws Desert during the nighttime. Right now, I have no news on mission that happen during that specific time and place, so we'll have to wait until-"
Before Corrin could finish their sentence, they saw the entire class rushing through another part of the hallways, as Corrin and Morris decided to catch up with the rear of the group, curious about what got the entire class into a rush, as Corrin decided to speak with Alexis, who was rushing along.
"Alexis, what's going on?" Corrin asked the other silver-haired armoured tech in the class, as she turned towards Corrin with a stoic expression, while the two of them were running at the same speed, keeping a constant distance between each other."Is there a sortie request for us happening right now?"
"That is indeed right." Alexis nodded, keeping pace with the rest of the class, as she answered back. "There has been a back-up request by Class C-12 in the Daws Desert. Every student who is able to fight is called to sortie out."
Corrin then nodded back, before turning to Morris, as she gave him a hopeful smile. "Looks like there's your chance to do what you need to." She told him with a content tone. "I'll convince Avan to let us patrol the enemy flanks, so that we'll have the time to find what we need."
"Thanks, Karin. I really appreciate this." Morris answered back, as he returned a hopeful smile of his own, before the two of them caught up with the rest of the class, following them to the briefing room.
At the Daws Desert...
The entire class was sortied out, as they set up a defensive perimeter around a makeshift camp, where rebels were constantly attacking them from all frontal directions, with the lancers and storm-troopers beating back the enemy advance, while the armoured techs acted as close-counters to the rebels, and shields for their allies. There was also some engineers who were treating their classmates. In the main camp itself was Avan and Zeri, who took position to defend Elma and Raymond, who volunteered for the duty of treating the incoming Class C-12 students, as the first few arrived just moments after Class G-7 arrived, and they immediately started treatment on the students, who were wounded to varying degrees, some unresponsive, and some unfortunately conscious to feel the agony and pain of their wounds.
"Say, you think that it was a good choice letting those pairs go, Zeri?" Avan inquired Zeri, who he considered to be the class's tactic adviser other than Brixham, while he loaded his heavy scout rifle with rounds, before rising from his sand-bag cover, to fire a few precise shots at the heads of the rebels, quickly taking them out, before they were halfway to the camp. "I mean, I believe in Instructor Mari taking care of Coleen, as they plan to ambush the enemy armour, but not so much about Morris and Karin... I trust them a lot, you know that, but... I'm not certain that I didn't make a choice that would get them killed."
"That's quite ironic from your mouth, Avan." Zeri remarked back with a smirk, before he then slammed another clip of the Victorie in, and then letting out a large burst of fire which tore through the advancing rebel vanguard. "You know that we're all trained too well to be able to fall to a few rebels, experienced or otherwise. Besides, we have the main focus of the rebels' attention on us, so they should be fine, since the rebels are not fond of the idea of flank guards, despite the fact that we could end a battle by exploiting that weakness. That said, let's just focus on getting the other class's students out of here safely."
"Got it. Oi, Class C-12! If you can hear me, make your way up to us! We got engineers ready to treat you, and we got enough people to cover your back!" Avan shouted out to the remaining stranded members of Class C-12, who were trying to hide from the advancing rebels. "Don't worry about the rebels, they can't possibly handle what we're going to dish to them!"
After a few moments, more members of Class C-12 retreated under the cover of Class G-7, while Elma and Raymond worked on patching up them, as Elma was doing quite well, leaving each of her patients fairly soothed and calm, and even Raymond was managing to keep enough control to properly treat the students without any unfortunate accidents, although he did use his strength to make a few secure tourniquets to stop bleeding for some of the more severely hit students.
In one part of the Daws Desert...
Marisa immediately rushed forward to blast the last of the rebels away with her Petard, before gesturing for Coleen to regroup with her, as the pink-haired lancer was following close behind, letting Marisa take care of most of the enemy rebels with her mini-rockets. When they reached a suitable place to start searching for the moon-glow, they spread out, before looking around, and sifting through the sand slowly, checking for any flowers, but only finding wilted and dried-out plants.
"Rrgh, there's nothing here..." Marisa growled, before she then heard the sound of loud howling winds in the distance, which warned her about the sandstorm coming into the area, causing her to click her tongue in irritation. "Looks like the sandstorm is picking up, as expected. We gotta work fast, Coleen, or we'll have to leave this area empty-handed. I mean, I can convince Brixham to let us do a quick patrol here for a second chance for it, if you like-"
"No. I know myself too well. I'm a chicken. If I give up now... I'll never..." Coleen remarked, as her voice was fiercely determined. "I have to find it...! I HAVE TO!"
Coleen then rushed towards another area, although Marisa noticed that she was heading towards the ledge of a short cliff, which Coleen failed to see in the dark night. "Coleen, wait-" Marisa tried to warn her, rushing towards her to drag her back before she went over it. However, the warning came too late, as Coleen went past the ledge, before she then let out a startled cry, and landed on the sand with a resounding thud.
Marisa quickly rushed over, as she was concerned about the pink-haired lancer, worried that the fall, despite landing into the smooth sands, might have caused some lasting injuries on her. When she moved over, she could see that Coleen landed face-first into the sand for a painful landing.
"Coleen, are you alright?" Marisa cried, as Coleen groaned a little, before she then pushed herself up from the sand, and quickly brushing away the sand on her face, before slowly moving around, as she looked fairly hurt from the fall.
"I... I need him to know..." Coleen grunted strongly, as she began to flip through the sand with her hands. "How much he means to me. How much I need him... Even if he says no... Even if he hates me... I want him to know... This must be how all of those other guys felt when they came to me. And I just shrugged them all off... I feel terrible."
Marisa then looked around, before she then saw a flashing white glow nearby Coleen, which seemed to look quite a lot like the moon-glow that they were looking for, as she leapt off the ledge of the small cliff, making sure to land feet-first on the ground. She then rushed towards Coleen, before dragging her across the sand. "Coleen! The moonglow's over there!" She shouted to Coleen, hoping to get her to see the moon-glow.
Coleen did indeed see the white glow, as she rushed over to it, before pushing the sand away, to reveal a white flower with glowing petals. Even when she slowly plucked the flower from the ground, the glow didn't fade the slightest. At this, Coleen was filled with joy and relief, finding the mythical moonglow.
"That... It's a moonglow...!" Coleen remarked, raising the flower to eye-level, looking at it closely.
"Yep, you found it alright, that's the real deal, I tell you." Marisa chuckled with a grin. "You really were driven to find it, and it paid off. With this kind of devotion to your goals, I'm sure whatever guy you wanted to confess your love to, gotta take you into his arms and hold you tight, because I would do the same if I was in his shoes!"
"I agree. When he sees what we just saw... He'll know how lucky he is." Coleen answered back, before she then smiled, and pocketed the moon-glow in her field suit. "Thanks, instructor. I feel ready to tell Morris how I feel now."
"Morris? You mean that dark-haired kid from the armoured tech class, who seems to have a tendency to be ignored mostly by others?" Marisa asked back, with interest and a raised eyebrow, before she then shrugged. "Well, I gotta know how this happened, since this is quite interesting to hear from you."
"I sprained my leg during combat exercises, and he offered to carry me." Coleen recounted, as she looked up to the skies, hands in front of her chest, and a light blush on her cheeks. "But he's so small, it was awkward picking me up. People were laughing. But he carried me the whole time, apologising for embarrassing me."
"Huh, that's a real way to woo a girl, and get her heart in your hands." Marisa nodded in agreement.
"Other said that he looked silly, but he was a prince in his eyes. I want him to know that. To know how I feel about him." Coleen responded back.
"And you'll get your chance definitely. I bet that he'll definitely have to take your love for him." Marisa answered back, before she then walked over, and gave Coleen a playful slap on the back. "Go get them, girl. Your prince for your happily-ever-after is just waiting for you."
Coleen nodded, before the two of them made their way back to the class's main camp, their job in this area done.
At another part of the desert...
Corrin's and Morris's journey through the area was quite smooth, as the two of them encountered only a handful of rebels, all of them which were foot-soldiers. Being a Fencer Elite, her great-sword had no problems tearing the rebel victims to pieces viciously, while Morris could only watch Corrin single-handedly take down the rebels. When it was all said and done, Corrin gestured for Morris to come over to where she was, as the two of them searched the area together. They didn't have much luck for a long while, as Corrin was slightly frustrated that finding the moon-glow was looking like a difficult task to her.
"That's odd... Moon-glow is said to grow at open areas in the desert... Did we come to the wrong area to search for it...?" Corrin pondered loudly, as she dusted her hands off from the sand. However, at the same time, she could feel a few sand particles dancing along her field suit, which warned her about the incoming sandstorm. "...Damn, the sand-storm's picking up. But we still have a while to-"
"It's alright, Karin." Morris told Corrin with a resigned tone and expression. "It isn't safe to stay out here. Let's go. It's the universe's way of telling me to just forget about all of this."
Corrin was silent, glaring at Morris for a few moments, before she then returned to her search, this time more feverishly, which surprised Morris. "No, seriously, Karin, please stop! We've done enough-" Morris tried to plead with Corrin.
"Morris, I didn't come here with you, just to watch you give up like that." Corrin answered back sternly, before she then dug through the sands of the desert more thoroughly, even using her great-sword to act as a make-shift shovel to move droves of sand apart. "You said that you wanted to be a stronger man for your love. Giving up right now wouldn't achieve that. I promised that I would help you with all I can, and that means I will search alone if I have to, even if the coming sand-storm erodes my skin away until it bleeds. As long as I find that flower, that will be sufficient enough to prove that I kept my words. What's more, I know that you didn't mean what you just said. Would you really give up, when you're the one who asked to be brought here? I know that there is more in you that wants to see this through..."
"I do mean... I really did..." Morris muttered softly under his breath, before his spirit ignited in his eyes, something that didn't happen before for him, as his voice raised to a cry of devotion and confidence. "I still do mean it! I don't want to give up! I'm in love with her! And I'll bring that flower to prove it!"
He then rushed closer towards the sand-storm, as he was shoving away sand by the heaps with his entire arms. "It's here.. It has to be somewhere..." Morris remarked, before he moved around to another spot, repeating the same process. "I'm not giving up until I find it!"
He then moved enough of the sand away, to reveal the lively moon-glow underneath it, as he stop digging through the sand, softly plucking it, as Corrin rushed over to him. "Ah... A flower... Is this... the moonglow?" Morris stated to himself, taking a closer look, before confirming that it was a real moonglow. 'Yes, this is it! A moonglow!"
"Morris! You found one at last!" Corrin remarked with pride and praise. "Very well done indeed..."
"Yeah. I'm glad that I didn't stop looking." Morris answered back, before he then felt a twinge of soreness in his arms, wincing slightly. "I-I guess I got a little too worked up by your words, Karin."
"No, the extent that you went to search for that flower, especially in those last moments, when you were desperate and determined to find it, despite the oncoming sand-storm..." Corrin commented, as she made a gentle smile on her face. "It shows that your love is much more than just a flower, mystical the moonglow might be, it proves that you're willing to go through anything to find your true love."
"Thanks, Karin. I've made up my mind. I'm going to tell Coleen how I feel." Morris answered back, before he then pocketed the moon-glow in his field suit, before standing up to face Corrin.
"Coleen? Hm, that's a fairly good choice, considering that she is quite gentle and friendly, you would have a good affinity for love with her." Corrin stated her opinion on their relationship.
"Really? You think so?" Morris asked with slight shock, before he then smiled back. "I just really have to tell her, you know? I want her to know that she makes people happy. She makes me truly happy."
"I'm sure that with the moonglow in your hands... She'll know how far you went for her affection." Corrin assured Morris. "Now, let's head back, before the sandstorm gets rough for us."
Morris nodded in agreement, before the both of them left the desert area, to leave with the class.
Back at the class's main camp...
The operation was mostly wrapping up, as most of the rebels in the vicinity were taken out, and all of Class C-12's students were alive and accounted for, with what few of the unconscious students of the class being treated by Elma and Raymond, and then carried to safety by the other members of their class. They have already retreated from the area, and Avan sent the rest of his class out to hold off the enemy with a offensive assault the rebel-occupied camps. The two pairs that were 'patrolling' returned, with neither one of them aware of the other's actions.
"Nice work, guys! Let's patch up the wound and head back, we've got Class C-12 safely out of here, and all that's left is us-" Avan was about to inform his nearby squadmates.
"Avan, I have some bad news to relay to you, three wounded students remain at the edge of the enemy camp." Brixham informed Avan through the class comms with a grim tone. "Not only are rebel reinforcements incoming towards this area, but the sandstorm is imminent to this area. Evacuate them ASAP.'
"What!?" Avan exclaimed in shock. '"Alright, let's get a team of engineers to-"
"Most have already been deployed to tend to the others. They're gone." Brixham stated. "Both theirs and ours."
"Are you serious?!" Avan yelled in outrage, before he then sighed deeply. "Well, I hope that some of our engineers will have figured out this... I think that they're looking around for any wounded classmates, and that's enough to keep me calm about the whole situation..."
At the enemy main camp...
The trio of Joachim, Marion and Nichol were lying about the sandy ground, as all of them were injured in their own way. Joachim suffering a torso gunshot wound, which didn't manage to pierce deep enough to hit his inner organs, but enough to be excruciatingly painful for the armoured tech. Marion herself was left crippled with a shot to her leg, which made it nearly impossible for her to walk unassisted, as she did her best to keep the sand out of it,. Nichol himself had a shoulder wound from duelling against an enemy sniper, which resulted in them both shooting each other, while he was clutching that wound tightly with one hand.
"I told you I was the unluckiest guy in the world..." Joachim groaned, before he tried to straighten up, although that agitated his wound, sending a jolt of pain that made his hiss in pain. "Argh!"
"I was careless. My leg was hit." Marion sighed with a concerned tone for herself.
"If we stay here for long, chances are we'll be spotted by the rebels." Nichol answered back, before he then slowly stood up. "I'm the only one here who can walk. Let me take you with me, just please don't put pressure against my wou-"
Before Nichol could finish, they could hear the sound of approaching footsteps, as Marion quickly raised her machine-gun to take aim at the possible rebels approaching, although it was instead Raymond and Elma, as Elma was already pulling out her ragna-aid container, ready to treat the group at a whim if needed be, while Raymond stopped right in front of them.
"Guys! Is everyone okay?" Raymond asked with frantic concern, looking around, while Elma went on making a quick treatment on each of them using ragna-aid.
"Raymond! You're here man?! And you too, Elma!?" Joachim exclaimed, before Elma healed his chest wound, causing him to let out a long sigh of relief and soreness.
Suddenly, there was the sound of distant rifle-fire, as everyone's head snapped to the direction of the noise.
"Rifle fire! That was a Hervor-A. The rebels are closing in!" Marion warned the group, as being the gun-nut she was, it was easy for her to discern the gun-shot wounds to be from rebel-produced rifles, indicating that rebel reinforcements are fast approaching. Even when Elma healed her leg wound, she couldn't move at all. "Urgh, it's not enough to help me walk straight..."
"Raymond! Elma! You gotta start getting us outta here, man!" Joachim begged to Raymond and Elma with a worried expression on his face.
"Take Marion to start, Raymond. Elma, please help Joachim. I will wait for you to get back." Nichol suggested, as he was determined to ensure his squadmates were moved to safety before he was.
"What? But what if the rebels get here first?!" Joachim exclaimed with horror. "You'll be a sitting duck against this many rebels all by yourself!"
"There's no time. This might be a tight squeeze, but hang on!" Raymond shouted, before he then lifted Joachim onto his back, as the armoured tech clung to it, and he then wrapped Marion and Nichol in his arms, before lifting them up from the ground, all while he let out a fierce cry, as the action surprised the three of them, as well as Elma herself. "Come on, we need to hurry!"
"R-Right!" Elma answered back, before they made a quick sprint back to the class's main camp, as Avan saw Raymond carry the three of the wounded classmates here by himself.
"Raymond! You made it! Are you okay, man?" Avan asked Raymond with concern, rushing over to check the engineer's condition.
"Just fine. I'm good at lifting things." Raymond answered back firmly.
"So that's where you have been, when you were at the front helping the squad out..." Avan muttered back, before he then turned to the other classmates. "Alright, let's get out of here! Everyone's alive and accounted for!"
As the class retreated, Raymond turned to Elma. "It's like you said. There are things only I can do, so I should keep doing things my way. This is about all I can do..." He told her.
"And you did so well..." Elma smiled back warmly, happy that Raymond did something that saved the lives of three of his classmates. "See, there is something that you can do to help with that immense strength of yours, you lifted them without slowing down the slightest. You truly are a great engineer, Raymond.
"Yeah, man! You just saved my neck!" Joachim exclaimed, being hefted along by Alexis.
"Absolutely. You have my sincerest thanks." Marion answered back to Raymond, being supported by Anisette.
"Elma's right. You're a great engineer, and I agree on that, Raymond." Nichol responded back, as he was able to walk, having taken some time for his wound to heal enough to move unimpeded.
"Thank you, guys...!" Raymond muttered with genuine joy and gratitude.
"Alright, now let's see what that professor has to say, when he sees that not only you have improved so much, but the fact that you also did a rescue that would have been deemed quite impossible for someone typical, but not for you." Elma stated smugly. "Come on, we'll celebrate this later."
Raymond smiled back even more, as the class headed back for Lanseal.
In the hallway...
Avan and Cosette were together, walking down the hallway, as the academy seemed to look like it was returning back to its typical jolly days, despite the scars that the wars inflicted on it, both on morale and on the damaged buildings.
"Ali really pulled her weight at Roendahl, huh?" Cosette remarked, as there was a impressed look on her face.
"Yep, she literally went toe-to-toe with a enemy bombardment to protect us, and she was just knocked aside. She really meant it when she said that she would protect us." Avan smiled back, before crossing his arms behind his back with a deep sigh.
"Ah, Cosette. I'd like to ask a small favor of you." Brixham stated, as they turned around to see him with Richard. "There's a blue folder on my desk in the faculty room. Could you get it?"
"Blue folder? Uh, yes, sir! I'm on it!" Cosette quickly saluted back, before she then rushed back towards the building, while Avan stopped where he was.
"So... How's our class chair doing?" Richard asked with a casual tone and a care-free smile. "Things looking up well for you?"
"Sort of, haven't heard any news that we're making significant progress against the rebels at this point." Avan responded back with a tone just as casual, looking to the side slightly. "I really wonder how long this conflict will go on for..."
"Avan, I would like to tell you something... About Leon..." Brixham stated, before his tone turned solemn, and there was a sullen look in his squinted eyes. " If I hadn't recommended him for that mission, he'd still be-"
"It's not your fault. Besides, if brother died as one of those artificial valkyria... Then I got to make sure that no-one goes through this again." Avan responded back with a look of resilience in his eyes. "I hate to say it out loud, but I think that I've come to terms with my brother's death... But at least I'm here to carry out his legacy."
"No, I should have trusted my intuition sooner. Even without concrete proof. Leon wasn't the only one. A number of Lanseal's best students lost their lives. But by the time I learned the specifics, it was too late. I failed them." Brixham continued.
"I can't do a lot about that. Sorry, but-" Avan shook his head, as he hoped to phrase it gently to Brixham, who was in a fair bit of grief currently.
"No, of course. It's wrong of me to seek absolution from you. I apologise." Brixham apologised hastily, before he then sighed with a depressed tone.
"You're not listening. I was gonna say you should tell all this to Leon." Avan spoke firmly, a irritated expression on his face.
Brixham then turned back to Richard silently, who gently nodded back, as if allowing Brixham to speak his mind, as the advisor turned to Avan and nodded softly. "...I would like that chance, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to get it." He answered back.
Suddenly, Cosette then returned, holding the blue folder that Brixham requested.
"Here you go, sir, just as you asked." Cosette spoke humbly, as Brixham collected the folder.
"Thank you, Cosette. Now I suppose that we should-" Brixham was about to say, before there was the sound of sirens being triggered, which caught everyone's attention.
"All teaching personnel, report to the faculty room immediately. I repeat-" The speakers blared, all while the siren drowned most of what came after.
"Something's happened. Get the squad prepped and waiting!" Brixham ordered, before Rain and Brixham rushed back into the building, while Avan and Cosette went towards the squad dorms, the first place to find as many of their classmates as possible.
In the briefing room...
"Rebel forces struck the Doerfein mining quarter early this morning." Brixham explained the current situation. " A large portion of the mining staff is comprised of Darcsen laborers. The rebels have set explosives in the mine and are calling it a cleansing."
"Are they trying to bury those people alive?! That's inhuman!" Cosette complained with a horrified tone.
"Baldren's not playing around anymore..." Richard responded back with a grim expression on his face. "Although I wonder what he's trying to do, caving in a particularly good mine for ragnite. Is it a gesture of mockery, to state that he has enough ragnite to fuel his artificial valkyria for months to come, or is to spite the Darcsens...? Either way, this must be stopped."
"Your objectives are twofold: force the rebels out and stop that bomb." Brixham declared the operation objectives.
"We're on our way! If we can hurry, we can be there within the hour!" Avan exclaimed back, determined to rush to the rescue of Doerfin, so much that he stood up harshly.
"Every second counts. I wish you Godspeed." Brixham gave the squad his blessings.
Mine Relay Team: Granoro(Lavinia), Rain, Zeri, Anisette, Cosette, Noel
Pit Team: Avan, Nichol, Gus, Mari, Remi, Sally
With the pit team...
The group found themselves deep inside the mines, as it was fairly large and roomy, and there was several paths trailing across the area, separated only by the large piles of unrefined rock between them, although they could see the occasional glint of blue, indicating that there was ragnite amongst the mountains of rock.
"Wow, this place is quite nice..." Avan remarked. "Just being around, I can feel my body being much more vitalised than before."
"Unfortunately, that advantage is shared with the rebels." Gus answered back, before sighing and slowly advancing down one of the paths. "It just means that they'll be harder to kill with all this ragnite boosting their regenerative qualities."
He then slowly advanced down the path, before finding a rebel camp guarding the path to another area of the mines, which was guarded by a heavy scout, taking cover behind the sandbags. Gus could only sigh at the weak defence before him, before loading a rifle-mounted grenade on his weapon, and launching it point-blank on the rebel scout, who didn't have time to react, before it blasted him away along with the sandbags. Gus then slowly advanced, before doing a quick shot at the ragnite container next to one of the other rebels taking aim at him, as it exploded spectacularly, killing the rebel with burns deep enough to see the muscle underneath them.
Reisen took the moment to lean out from her main camp, noticing one of the rebels who was unaware of their arrival, as she lined up a shot and silenced him with a quick head-shot.
Avan, noticing that Gus cleared most of the path ahead, decided to gesture for the rest of the group to advanced, as they either made their way down the side-path which Reisen started clearing out, with the others following Gus. Both separate teams manage to take out the rebels, flanking the rebels on the northern section of the area, and taking care of them quite quickly.
"Well, that was quick..." Mari answered back, as she pulled the Petard open, loading another clip of mini-rockets inside of it. "So much for the ragnite boost giving the rebels an edge over us."
"Mm." Reisen muttered back, as she loaded her sniper rifle with rounds once more, before using one to snipe a rebel sniper trying to take position on them.
Suddenly Gus noticed that there was a mine-cart track in the area, as it seemed to be connected to another area in the distance, he then gestured for Avan to secure the area, as he walked over to it, put himself inside the mine-cart, before activating it, as it surged out of the area and into the next...
With the mine relay team...
As the Granoro rolled in from behind them, the team led by Zeri and Rain entered the area, as they slowly surveyed the area around them, finding themselves in a area where the buildings are placed, wooden facilities for processing the raw ragnite, and even dorms for the workers there.
Richard then advanced on his own, taking the short way around the area, through the set of buildings, managing to assassinate a anti-tank sniper, who was looking the wrong way at the wrong time, slitting his throat open. Afterwards, he reached the enemy camp leading to the next area, except it was guarded by a heavy scout, who actually noticed him, and a heavy tank that was turned away from him, exposing its reactor to him.
The rebel heavy scout tried to attack Richard, although he used his shield to block the shots, before taking advantage of the rebel's reloading to close the distance and finish him with one slash. Afterward, he sliced through the tank's reactor, causing it to explode, although it didn't harm him the slightest.
"Where are you, Baldren..." Richard growled under his breath. "You're going to suffer a painful death, so why not get it over with sooner then...?"
The rest of the group decided to secure the other route, as Zeri used the Victorie to tear through the enemy forces, while Anisette picked off any stragglers that tried to return fire. Noel noticed that there was a gatling tower in the distance, trying to take aim at them, as she readied her rocket lance and fired it right into the centre of the tower, creating an explosion that broke through most of its hull, and left it unresponsive.
When the group met up with Richard, he had already captured both of the camps which led to pathways to the other areas.
"...You guys take one. I'll take the other." Richard simply stated to them with a stoic tone.
"Understood, instructor Rain." Zeri nodded back, before gesturing for the group to follow him, as the Granoro advanced to cover the squad, as they headed for the east path, while Richard took the northern path, as if expecting to find Baldren there.
Inside the large ragnite pit...
The mine-cart that Gus was on screeched to a halt, indicating that it has reached its destination. Gus then disembarked from it, as he slowly tread through the path ahead of him, as he caught sight of the enemies gathered.
"Well, it seems that there is enemies ahead here..." Gus remarked, before he then made his way to the end of the path, as it was on a ledge overseeing Baldren himself, who was now wearing a golden hooked crown around his head and face, accompanied only by a large heavy tank with him.
"Baldren...!? This is a good chance to take him out... Although I doubt that I can, with all the ragnite in the area, and just my rifle here to shoot at him." Gus remarked, as he took aim at the heavy tank, aiming for the exposed radiator. "However, tanks don't share the same boon, and since the Coup is built against tanks... I think that this would be a good chance to launch a surprise attack."
He then fired at the tank radiator, scoring critical hits on the tank's weak-spot, making it explode spectacularly. This startled Baldren, who was shocked at the destruction of his escort tank.
"What in the name of-!?" Baldren exclaimed, before he then looked up and saw Gus, as his expression turned into one of fury, as he pulled out his machine-gun. "YOU!"
"Alright, time to bail out of here." Gus answered back, as he retreated towards the mine-cart, and rode it back to the area he started in.
Baldren rushed up the stairs leading up to the mine-cart station, before seeing that Gus was long gone, and slamming his fist on the stony wall with a growl.
"Damn Teller...! I will have your head for this!" Baldren exclaimed, before Richard entered the area, which surprised him, as he saw that Richard was preparing to advance.
However, suddenly, Richard's head cocked towards Baldren for a moment, before his eyes widened, and then a expression hatred and fury that put Baldren's to shame appeared on his face.
"BALDREN!" Richard screamed with fury, before the rebels were alerted, as they tried to rush Richard, although all they did was delay Richard, as Baldren quickly ran to a position where he wouldn't be cornered.
As Richard tore through the rebel soldiers, he activated the comms. "Get every single damn man here! Baldren is right here for taking!" Richard roared, before driving his blade fully through the head of a foolish rebel fencer who tried to ambush him.
At that moment, the rebel reinforcements appeared, although there were only pigs to the slaughter, their attacks at most ineffective against him, and he was tearing through them without any signs of stopping. Eventually, both teams managed to reach where Richard was quickly, as Baldren found himself at the gun-point of the entire squad, without any rebels to support him.
"Lanseal is destroyed and still its ghost haunts me!?" Baldren snarled back.
"No thanks to you, a lot of good people died for that attack, you'll pay for that with blood, you bastard." Richard growled back with a hateful tone.
"Where's the bomb!? Come on, out with it!" Avan demanded from Baldren.
Suddenly, several rebels appeared from where the mine-cart track was, as they moved in front of Baldren to protect him with their own bodies.
"Commander Baldren! We're prepared to extract, sir! We expected this to happen. We leave at your order!" The rebel officer stated.
"You're NOT GOING ANYWHERE, BALDREN!" Richard growled, before he made a few steps towards Baldren, before the cornered rebel general pulled out what seemed to look like a detonator. "What...!?"
"One more step, and I'll activate the bombs here remotely." Baldren threatened both instructors and students of Lanseal, thumb pressed on the switch. "This switch will trigger them instantly."
"You won't get the chance to move that finger of yours when I'm-" Richard growled, as he took another step, as Baldren clicked his tongue, which made Richard halt his steps, suspicious about the matter.
"You would be so polite to acknowledge that this detonator has already been activated, the moment I pressed it." Baldren answered back with a cruel smirk on his lips. "If I die, I'll let go of this switch, and the bombs will detonate the same."
"You...!" Richard hissed venomously under his breath. "What makes you think that I know you're not bluffing there!? There has been no reports of any remote explosives being developed, especially not with ordinance powerful enough to cave this mine in!"
"Well then, care to test me, Darcsen...!?" Baldren responded back, slowly easing his finger off the trigger. "I may die, but I will take you and your corrupt men with me!"
Richard's expression was twisted between utter rage and great animosity, grinding his teeth loudly, before he then retreated back, and lowered his blade.
"Lower your weapons..." Richard ordered the group behind him.
"Rain, you can't seriously...!" Avan exclaimed.
"LOWER YOUR WEAPONS! He played us hard. He might be lying, but we can't risk it. Not before we get everyone out." Richard shouted back.
After a moment of hesitation, the Lanseal Squad lowered their weapons slowly, as Baldren smirked triumphantly.
"You win this round, Baldren... But make no mistake, before you even let that detonator be released, the bombs will be defused, and we'll live to fight you again." Richard spoke to Baldren with a low hiss in his voice, and a hateful glare in his eyes. "And that next time... I will have your head at last, and your house will die as a house of traitors, examples of what racism and corruption brings for a house as vile as yours."
"We shall see." Baldren growled back, before he then made his way towards the mine-cart. "The day is mine, cadets and instructors! You and your men can die alongside the Darcsens!"
The mine-cart then started moving, as Richard turned back to the squad.
"You know what to do, guys." Richard answered back. "We don't have long, if Baldren has that dead-man's switch on him. Once's he out, he's going to blow it, so first priority, get the bombs, the civilians are dead if we don't, so will we."
"Split up, guys! Half of you evacuate civilians, the rest find that bomb!" Avan ordered the group, as they quickly split up in two to deal with the urgent situation at hand.
Outside the mines...
The group managed to leave the mines, as their mission was a success, considering that Cosette was able to find the main bomb unit, and defuse it without any problems, and what seemed to be a minute to spare. The grateful inhabitatants of the mines showered them with praise and gratitude, although the squad was quite modest on the matter, not asking for any other reward, than their thanks and their help for Gallia.
Cosette then looked over in the distance, as she could see the sunset in the distance, which looked quite beautiful, considering that it was the first time she actually saw it in full, after her colour-blindness was cured.
"The sunset is truly beautiful, as is the whole world..." Cosette remarked with a gentle soothing tone, eyes staring out to the horizon. "I've been missing out on it, but no longer... I can see the beautiful world, with its many colours and shades..."
"Well, I guess that the world is thanking us for doing a great job ensuring that it doesn't have a scar as big as the mines, right?" Avan joked, before he was smacked on the back of the head by Zeri.
"Don't joke about that, if you don't remember, we cut it close." Zeri scolded Avan.
Cosette could only chuckle, which Richard and his group were staring out to the sunset.
"It's going to be over soon, right...?" Sanae asked Richard.
"...Yeah... I hope it does... And that this ominous feeling of mine... doesn't come true." Richard stated with a frown on his lips. "We're so close to seeing our results for helping them for this long... We can't afford to fail now at all..."