Chapter Uno! I reposed the prologue to double edit some stuff.
Chapter 1
Threat
"What's going on there!?" Welkin shouted as the gravity of the situation hit him. Beside him, Faldio already had his weapon aimed at the target.
"Yo." The man said in a cold voice. His hands gripped Alicia's arm tighter. "Do you know what I always wondered? If a Valkyrur's regenerative powers would be enough to save them from a headshot."
"Nicolas! Lower that weapon right now!" Welkin ordered in the booming voice of a commanding officer.
"Oh? Are you raising your voice to me, boy? You are in no position to disrespect me like that." The cold voice belonged to Nicolas Maxwell, a man who held Alicia at gunpoint. His left arm held Alicia's hands behind her back, while his other held the gun to her temple. He maintained a calm composure despite standing in the middle of a circle of upheld rifles. All of squad 7 now had their weapons raised, their fingers on the trigger, ready to shoot the man they once thought as their ally.
5 Hours Earlier...
After delivering a message that he himself was uninterested to give, Nicolas was now bored out of his mind. His simple mission was half-way done, the only thing he needed to do now was wait for Welkin and Alicia's answer. Unfortunately, their answer will only be given to him tomorrow and he now found himself with a full day of nothing to do.
"Going back to the hotel would be boring."
Nicolas stopped walking and thought to himself for a moment. In a few seconds he had come to a decision. "I guess I'll explore this base for a bit."
Soldiers are trained to endure night after night of combat. Sometimes they would spend those nights without sleep and food just to accomplish a single mission. Despite technically being on a mission, Nicolas would have none of that nonsense. He easily found himself in the base's mess hall after his stomach began grumbling. He bought a simple meal and sat at an empty table.
The food was somewhat stale for his tastes, but he never really expected much in the first place. Even while eating, Nicolas never stopped observing his surroundings. The mess hall was eerily empty; mainly because of the heavy losses the Gallian forces suffered in the last battle. He somewhat felt sorry for this tiny country, caught in this pointless struggle between two giants. He considered taking the war directly to the Federation and the Empire, but thought that it would be pointless. It would just cause more losses on both sides, and the circle of revenge and warfare will simply continue.
"What can I do? I'm not a capable diplomat anyway." He jokes with himself as he drinks some water.
"I told you already, we're going to consider your offer. But until then, stay the hell out of my kitchen!" a man wearing a chef's hat shouted at a large man by the entrance of the kitchen.
"I'm telling you that things are going to be a helluva lot better if you add more vegetables in your dang menus!" the large man shouted as he tried to walk back inside the kitchen.
"Until you process those things properly, we are not going to use food illegally grown on military soil!" the chef has had enough. The silver door closed with a loud bang. The large man stood outside, dumbstruck. He curses to himself and turns around looking clearly irritated. He walks in Nicolas' general direction with angry, heavy steps.
"..." Nicolas looked down at his bowl of soup and continued to eat silently.
Don't ask. Just avoid eye contact.
The heavyset man walks pass without noticing him. He seems to be too annoyed to notice Nicolas silently peeling a banana. As Nicolas chews the yellow fruit, he can't help but feel once again, somewhat irritated at these people around him. Worrying about something as menial as vegetables in the middle of warfare? That is unacceptable.
Halfway across the base, Zaka was in the middle of helping Kreis Czherny with the Edelweiss' daily maintenance. The Darcsen man had one eye instinctively closed as he examined the Edelweiss' turret. The Edelweiss' armor is tough enough to repel the strongest of Imperial attacks. However, like any other tank of this era, the Edelweiss was still vulnerable to the wear and tear of combat. Screws get loose, and cogs can still crack. Zaka's own tank, the Shamrock was no exception. But the Shamrock could wait; it's not every day that Zaka gets the opportunity to tinker a tank of the Edelweiss' caliber.
"Gallian-X 9 stocked, Gallian-S 14 stocked, Theimer Lance 5 stocked… Grah! This is boring!" Edy Nelson has had enough, standing in front of the weapons locker; she quickly loses her composure and begins scratching her hair in frustration. The gray haired teen immediately begins shaking the nearest person violently. "Why the heck do I have to do this? Isn't this supposed to be Alicia's job!?"
"Heh heh, I don't know…" Homer Peron, a meek looking blonde said as he was shaken. He seemed to be oddly enjoying this. "…I think her and the Lieutenant got called by Captain Varrot."
"Huh? What for?" Edy stopped for a moment to think about the possible reason. "Man, is the princess rewarding them new medals!? Why, why do they always get to see Princess Cordelia!?"
After exclaiming with vigor, the violent Edy continues to relentlessly shake the timid Homer.
"They deserve it."
The normally silent Marina Wulfstan spoke suddenly with a flying Porcavian held in her arms. Her cold voice stopped Edy and Homer's comedic act.
"What do you mean, Marina?"
Edy tilts her head and furrows her eyebrows as she waits for her answer. But the Sniper just stares at her silently, seemingly uninterested in giving an answer. After a few more seconds of waiting, Edy closes her eyes and sighs loudly.
"I think what Marina is saying is that it's mainly because of them that we've been able to live through this." Lynn, a Darcsen shocktrooper said as she walked pass with a crate full of magazines. "If it weren't for the Lieutenant's and Alicia's efforts, Randgriz and the whole of Gallia would probably be in ruin."
The Darcsen spoke with a solemn voice full of pain and concern. She then lights up with a small smile.
"But I know how you feel; you're thinking that we deserve some of that credit as well, right?"
Edy looked unsure of how to answer as she rubbed her arm awkwardly.
"Heh, she probably just wants to see the princess in person."
"Shut up Homer!"
Thud!
Edy shouted as she smacked the back of Homer's head.
Zaka just watches their discussion at a distance. For some reason he can't help but feel unsure of the situation at hand. A few days earlier he noticed the arrival of a strange looking man who was seemingly escorted by Eleanor Varrot. He fit the look of an experienced war veteran despite his young age but something was off about him.
"Hey Kreis, mind if I ask you a weird question?"
"Hmm? What kind of question, Mr. Zaka?" Kreis said as he pulled himself up from underneath the tank. The dark haired boy wore a pair of large glasses.
Zaka jumps off the Edelweiss and leans against its armor. "Did you happen to see a weird looking guy walking around the base?"
"…what do you mean by 'weird looking'?" Kreis wiped the oil off his hand with a clean cloth.
"Captain Varrot was walking around with this guy a couple of days ago. He didn't look Gallian, which is a bit weird." Zaka said as he closed his eyes in deep thought.
This raised Kreis' curiosity. "Don't tell me you're interested in Captain Varrot, Mr. Zaka?"
Kreis expected a surprised and semi-embarrassed response, but Zaka just smiles and speaks to him in a casual tone. "It's not that, but there's something really weird with that guy she's with."
Kreis frowns, a bit disappointed. "Well, come to think about it… I think I heard Leon talk about someone like that."
"Does he have any idea who it might be?"
"Nah, Leon said he doesn't talk to anyone aside from Ms. Varrot. It seems to be like he's some high official or something. Either way, the top brass isn't telling us anything." Kreis said as he opened his toolbox to grab some pliers.
"I see… what do you think are the odds that that guy is here because of Welkin and Alicia?" Zaka said with a visible grin.
Kreis thought for a moment before giving his answer. "I'd say, pretty high. The lieutenant is pretty famous in the military for his continuous victories, and Alicia's just been confirmed to be a Valkyrur."
"That's exactly what I've been thinking. It's farfetched, but it's possible, right?" Zaka wanted to think deeper into the matter but he realized that maintenance wasn't even halfway done. "Well let's leave that for later, what else do you need help with?"
Kreis wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Heh, the radiator."
The Gallian base's shooting range was surprisingly impressive. Nicolas was not impressed because of the simple dirt field and the old-looking red bull's eyes in the distance. Instead, he was impressed by the figures laying flat down on the dirt. They were a pair of boys who appeared to be in their early teens. The two boys looked like professional snipers as they fired their rifles at the targets.
Picking up a pair of nearby binoculars, Nicolas examines the targets in the distance. Much to his surprise, the bullets fired almost always hit dead center. He lowered the binoculars and looked back at the two boys. For some reason, he can't help but see himself in those two kids.
"Hmmm…" Nicolas rubbed his chin as he considered picking up a rifle himself to fire some practice shots. But he quickly dismisses that thought, thinking that he would just be wasting some Gallian resources. Every bullet is a valuable resource in war, that's what he believed.
The two boys have now noticed Nicolas and are now glancing at him from the corner of their eyes. One of the boys then stands up and talks with Nicolas.
"Can we help you with something, sir?"
"Oh, don't mind me. I'm only here to observe." Nicolas said as he waved the kid off. "I'm just walking around your base, being bored out of my mind."
Oscar Bielert wondered if he should take that part about boredom as an insult. He returns to his brother afterwards.
"Did he need anything, brother?"
"Nope, he said that he was just walking around. Let's get back to work, Emile." He said as he lay down beside his brother.
"Alright." Emile Bielert, the younger of the brothers, looks at Nicolas one last time before looking down the barrel of his rifle.
Bang!
The bullet pierces the very center of the bull's eye. Nicolas smiles after seeing this with his own two eyes. He's actually quite impressed. It looks like the Gallian militia has some talent after all. His curiosity eventually gets to him and he now finds himself kneeling beside the two boys.
"Tell me, is there any specific reason on why you're practicing like this?"
Emile lifted his head. "Well, we're just practicing for the sake of practicing. But there's another reason, that being we want to be as good as Marina."
"Marina?" Nicolas tilted his head out of curiosity.
"Yes, she's our squad's only elite sniper." Oscar lifted himself up and rolled on his back with his arms behind his head. "Though, I bet she reached that status because she always works alone."
Nicolas smiled at the thought of a lone sniper rising to the rank of elite on her own. He couldn't help but grin. He now had the strange urge to meet this 'Marina'.
"Boys, do you mind introducing me to this girl? I mean, after you're done with your shooting." He said with a smile.
The brothers looked at each other. Oscar then raised a question, "Sure, but what exactly are you here for, mister?"
"Yeah, you don't look Gallian, and you're not wearing our uniform. Are you a writer like Ms. Ellet?" Emile followed up with his own question.
"Who, me? I'm just a traveling civilian." Nicolas said in the most innocent look he can muster.
3 Hours Earlier...
Welkin Gunther felt a heavy weight on his shoulders as he stared at the contracts in his office. He looked blankly at the black line over their names, the line where their signatures were to be written. He sat in his office alone and quietly. The other paperwork had to wait, for now, he had to focus on the more important matter at hand. Signing this contract would remove him and Alicia's position in the Gallian militia. But that would also lead to the earlier end of the Second Europan War. At least, that's what the Lieutenant Colonel promised. But should he really take his word for it?
He groaned aloud as he leaned back on his chair.
"Captain Welkin Gunther, eh? Is that what I'm going to be called?" he sat up and rested his chin on his palm. "I wonder what Alicia's up to..."
Alicia was taking the situation at a much lighter pace. She told Welkin that she'd be right back and help him make the decision. They both wanted to make the decision together, and they both wanted to tell the squad together as well. But so far, Welkin felt that he was the only one taking the situation seriously.
To Alicia, Squad 7 was her family and Welkin felt the same. Leaving the squad would feel like leaving their loved ones behind. He was sure that it was going to be a painful feeling if it ever happened. Were they really going to leave their family behind for the greater good of Europa?
Knock! Knock!
"Welkin~" Alicia's cheery voice broke Welkin's serious thoughts. She entered the room holding a small pile of bread and a cup of coffee with Welkin's name written on it.
She placed the food in front of Welkin with a smile. "Eat up; I know that you haven't eaten breakfast yet."
"Huh? How do you know that?"
Alicia winked and placed her finger on her chin. "Woman's intuition!"
Welkin didn't believe in superstitions but he was in no position to question Alicia. Doing so would possibly lead to her taking away the freshly baked bread she offered him.
"Well if that's the case, then thanks for the meal!" Welkin said as he grabbed a piece of bread with both hands. He opened his mouth as wide as he could as he dug into the meal.
"Welkin…"
"Mmmmyes Alicia?"
"How's the decision making?"
Welkin swallowed a huge chunk of bread before answering-- "I'm conflicted with myself. But I'm just waiting for you to shed some light on me- to help me decide." –and continued eating afterwards. The cloud serious emotions has long since dissipated ever since Alicia's bread entered the room.
"I was thinking… that we should go." Alicia's answer caused Welkin to choke. "It's not like we're going to go that far away, anyway, right? And the Colonel said that we can still contact our friends through mail, or visit them when we don't have a mission."
"Y—Yes…" Welkin said as he quickly drank some coffee. "I've been considering the same thing. But are you fine with just leaving them behind?"
Alicia smiled faintly. "I'm sure that they're all going to be fine. They're all strong people. I just want this war to end, and that's what the Colonel promised, right?"
Welkin leaned forward and rested his hand on top of Alicia's. "Are you going to be fine with entering a new environment?"
"What do you mean?" Alicia tilted her head.
"We're going to be entering a new Division. That means we're going to be meeting new people, people who are probably going to be very different from the people we know here." Welkin knew this ever since. Nicolas appeared to him as a cold man used to the horrors of war. He almost seemed traumatized, and his perspective of the world seemed different from theirs. He knew that other members of the Magus Division wouldn't be that different.
He also worried that spending time in that division would inevitably change his and Alicia's views of the world as well. He was afraid that they would become like them, given enough time.
"I'm fine with meeting new people, anyway." Alicia turned her hand upside down and closed it into his. "And, you're going to be there with me, right?"
Welkin looked at her in the eye and smiled. That was when he realized that he and Alicia were thinking the same thing. The only thing they wanted since they joined the militia was to stop the needless suffering. They wanted to protect their loved ones. Now, they were given the opportunity to do just that. The choice was clear now; they were going to join the division.
Welkin pulled himself towards Alicia and kissed her. There was no specific reason; he just felt that it was the perfect time. Alicia was taken by surprise at first, then eventually sunk into the kiss as well.
"BOSS!!" Largo's booming voice broke the moment as he barged in with Rosie.
".....!"
Welkin and Alicia were both surprised to the Nth degree. Largo and Rosie saw what Alicia and Welkin were in the middle of, and they end up feeling embarrassed and stupid.
"Ack, eh, what is it, Largo?" Welkin said as he tried his best to return to a proper sitting position.
"Sorry boss, were we interrupting?" Largo said as he scratched his head and turned around. A red streak is visible on his large face.
"Right. We'll come back later." Rosie said as she pushed Largo's out of the room.
"No, no, it's fine." Welkin coughed. "What is it guys?"
The pair looked at each other before straightening up. "Well, there's this new guy who's sayin' that he's a new recruit." Largo said.
"He says that he's joined the militia yesterday and has just been assigned to our squad." Rosie continued.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Alicia asked.
"It means exactly what we say." Rosie says as she crosses her arms. "Some new recruit is saying that he's very 'honored' to join our squad. The 'dud seems to be very interested in Marina, too."
Welkin rubbed his chin as he contemplated the situation.
"The guy says that he's a sniper. But I don't think he'll make a very good one with his constant smoking, he'll probably just give off his position to those damn Imps." Rosie sneered as she remembered the smell of his smoke.
Welkin and Alicia almost immediately looked at each other. They were absolutely sure who the person was. Welkin got up immediately and headed for the door with Alicia trailing behind. Rosie and Largo are left wondering what just happened.
There was a large commotion in the vehicle hangar. A civilian stood at the center of the majority of squad 7, seemingly being interrogated. Tank drivers, scouts, lancers, other soldiers from other squads were watching the event before them. The crowd of militia surrounded the man like a swarm. However, the people cleared a path for Alicia and Welkin as they walked inside. The moment Welkin saw the man in question, he suddenly felt unsure. Specifically, he was unsure how to react to the situation.
The soldier notices Alicia and Welkin from the corner of his eye. He immediately stands at attention and salutes.
"Sir! Private Nicolas Maxwell reporting for duty! Sir!" His voice was loud, loud enough to surprise most of the bystanders.
"I…" Welkin was not sure how to answer. Is the Lieutenant Colonel playing a joke on him?
"Sir! I've just enlisted on the Gallian militia yesterday! Sir!" Nicolas shouted in the same loud voice.
The nearby soldiers already began speaking amongst themselves. The man before them clearly possessed an intense fighting spirit. But they were also curious with his manner of speech, he sounded almost too militaristic for a new recruit.
"Private Maxwell! I am Sergeant Alicia Melchiott. I am the second in command in Squad 7. " Alicia took a step forward with her chin raised and her posture straight. "We will officially welcome you to Squad 7, only after you are dressed in your uniform. Private Inglebard, please escort Maxwell to his…" a moment of hesitation. "...er, assigned bunker."
The soldier with the eye patch separated himself from the crowd of onlookers. "Yes, ma'am!"
Vyse approaches Maxwell feeling a little bit excited. Something about this man interested him; he seemed to be an interesting person to hang out with. And he appeared to be a man who's had a lot of adventures. Vyse escorts Maxwell out of the hangar, followed by the curious eyes of those around him.
Alicia stepped back next to Welkin and said to him in a weak voice, "I'm not sure what he wants to prove, but I hope that I passed his test."
Welkin was impressed with Alicia's quick thinking. He had the sudden urge to pat her in the back for a job well done. But he stops himself from doing so because it would look unprofessional. Still, the situation sparked his curiosity to a certain degree.
"Oh, Alicia, I forgot to mention that I have a meeting with Captain Varrot this afternoon. It was announced yesterday, I almost forgot about it." Welkin said as he hit his face with palm. He had nearly forgotten about the meeting because of Maxwell's arrival.
"Don't worry about it; I'll wrap things up here. Just get over there." Alicia said with a smile as she walked towards her squad mates.
"Thanks Alicia, I'm sure to pay you back tonight!" Welkin said as he ran off, waving at her.
"…"
I wish he worded that differently.
Alicia just stood there frozen in shock. The way he worded his last statement easily caught the attention of nearby bystanders. She eventually sighs and lowers her reddening face in embarrassment. She tries to ignore her squad's giggles and stares as she makes her way towards the Edelweiss.
"…"
Meanwhile, Zaka remained silent.
"That was the guy I was talking about. I thought he was some guy from the top?" Kreis said behind him, engrossed in his maintenance work.
"Well, we'll just have to wait and see." Zaka grinned as he returned to his work.
Captain Varrot and Lieutenant Lanzaat were seated quietly in the briefing room. Faldio checked the nearby wall clock and sighed.
"It isn't like Welkin to be so late like this."
"Indeed. By the way Lanzaat, congratulations on your release. It seems that the ones at the top finally have their heads on straight." Varrot said as she drank a cup of well-brewed tea. "It looks like they're finally accepting the fact that we're going to need every person that's willing to help."
Faldio looked out the window and watched the sky silently. He was once detained for his action of shooting Alicia Melchiott. Desperate times called for desperate measures, if it weren't for him, Gallia would be considered a province of the Empire by now. Still, what mattered to him most was that Alicia was safe and that Welkin had forgiven him. The guilt is still present however, but he now promises himself that he'll do everything in his power to atone for his sins.
Creeeeaaak…
The door opens and Welkin steps in. "I'm sorry I'm late." Welkin says as he takes a seat beside Faldio.
Varrot lowered her cup of tea and officially started the meeting.
"Four days ago, the Land Dreadnought, the Marmota has been successfully repelled by the combined efforts of Squad 7 and the Royal Guard. However, the dreadnought still stands and though its main weapon, designated the 'Valkof' has been rendered unusable, the Marmota is still considered a high-priority target in this war." Varrot said as she released some images of the Marmota on the table.
"Let me guess, we're going to assault the lingering giant?" Faldio commented casually.
"No. Your mission is to eliminate a suspected camp of Imperial stragglers at the edges of Randgriz's forests. There's a great possibility that some of those men are engineers that have worked on the Marmota. Capturing those engineers could give us a viable solution for eliminating that beast." Varrot pointed at an encircled part of the map.
"Here are details on the current operation…"
1 Hour Earlier...
The hot sun was at its peak. The warm rays radiated straight down at the two lines of marching soldiers. The hot Gallian soil reflected the sun's heat boiling those unlucky enough to walk. Two tanks drove in front of the crowd of soldiers with their hatches open. Lieutenant Gunther and Zaka both sat at the roof of their respective tanks, fanning themselves with the chalkboards held around their necks.
"Hey boss, how… long are we going to… have to walk?" Largo asked as he walked beside the Edelweiss.
Welkin checked his map. "Just a couple more minutes." He said.
Welkin reviewed the plan in his head. His squad was to assault a small forest in the outskirts of Randgriz. Faldio's squad would enter from an Eastern entrance while his own squad would enter from a Southern entrance. The plan was simply to do a meter-by-meter sweep of the area and both squads would inevitably meet in the middle. Welkin promised himself that he would do his very best for this mission, since it's going to be his last while working as part of the militia.
Zaka observed Welkin's concerned look silently. He noticed that Alicia too was acting a bit off. She was conversing with Private Nelson, but her enthusiasm was not at its usual level.
"Alright. We're here." Welkin said as the two tanks stopped. The whole squad was now positioned on a cliff overlooking a small forest. "Everyone, get ready and---"
Welkin stopped mid-sentence. The sound of a rifle striking the ground caught everyone's attention. Nicolas Maxwell lowered his sniper rifle by its butt and had proceeded to release its safety pin in a single swift motion. Nicolas then takes out a magazine from his back pocket, spins it around in his hand and loads it into the weapon. The small cover of its scope is removed as Nicolas kneels on one knee and immediately looks down the scope.
"Roger."
"……"
The whole squad fell silent.
"Okay, that guy is definitely not a new recruit." Edy whispered to Susie. "Did you just see how he prepped up?"
Nicolas heard this, but he decided not to comment. Deep down inside, he felt like hitting himself for his inability to act. He was showing off too much. Meanwhile, standing behind him was Marina Wulfstan who appeared to be impressed.
"Uh, excuse me, Private Maxwell…" Welkin scratched his cheek as he spoke. "But we're still going to review the plan. Can you come here for a moment?"
"…right." Nicolas said to himself as he stood. "Sir!"
The whole squad gathered around the Edelweiss and the Shamrock like a huddled football team. Welkin stood at the center and discussed the plan at hand. They have already been briefed on the plan beforehand in the base, but he wants to be absolutely sure that the operation goes as smoothly as possible.
"Okay, so let's go over the plan real quick. At exactly 2:35, both Squad 1 and 7 will enter the forest from different areas. Infantry will enter the area, with the exception of Engineers and Lancers who will be staying behind the tanks. The tanks and lancers are only here for back-up, in case the enemy has armored forces. Your mission is to eliminate any imperial resistance, while simultaneously capturing their engineers. As usual, Snipers will be providing support from high ground." Welkin placed his hand on Alicia's shoulder. "Sergeant Alicia Melchiott will lead the advance, are we clear?"
"Sir!"
"Alright, let's get to work then." But before Welkin returned to his tank, he approached Nicolas as he separated himself from the group. "Sir…."
"Don't call me that here, Maxwell." Nicolas said as he slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder. "If you're wondering why I'm here, then it's simple. I want to observe what you and Melchiott are like in the field, I want to experience your abilities with my own two eyes."
"I see…" Welkin felt relieved yet nervous at the same time. He was going to have to watch himself now; he was being observed first-hand by the person in charge of recruiting him.
Halfway down the hill, Alicia lead a small team composed of herself, Edy, Susie, Aisha, Aika, and a few other shock troopers and scouts. Nicolas watched the group with his scope from afar and chuckled a bit. They looked more like a small group of high school teenagers than a threatening task force.
"Alicia, baby, how's it going with you and the Lieutenant." The girl with the interesting hairstyle, Aika Thompson asks with a teasing shove.
"Uh, fine… I guess." Alicia said with a hint of embarrassment.
"Aisha thinks that you make a cute couple." Aisha Neumann, the 12 year old child genius said with an equally teasing grin.
Alicia sighed as she continued walking. Since the Marmota's defeat everybody seemed to have returned to their usual curious selves. The air of casualness once again flowed in the squad. Nobody is as serious as they were before and because of that, Alicia now finds herself being interrogated by her squad mates. She decides to ignore their questions for now and instead leads her squad to their position for the raid.
"Alright men, our mission is to secure those engineers and to take out those stragglers. Squad 7, Move Out!" Welkin shouted to his men before entering the Edelweiss.
The scouts took his words in first and immediately entered the forest. Alicia and Aika branched off into two separate paths to scout ahead while the Shocktroopers followed silently behind. Four snipers were present in squad 7 in the persons of Marina, Emile, Oscar and Nicolas. They were separated into teams of two, the brothers sniped together and Marina was left with the new recruit, Nicolas.
"Enemy spotted!"
"Enemy spotted!
Aika and Alicia shouted through their radios as they opened fire. Nicolas could barely see anything due to the thick foliage, except for the small bursts of light of gunfire. Eventually, he saw the traces of the Imperial forces in the forest. Visibility was low but he was able to make out their red uniforms and matching red helmets. He opened fire the instant he saw an opening. An Imperial lancer was unlucky enough to receive his bullet to the head.
Meanwhile down below, Alicia ran through the battlefield with sniper bullets zipping overhead. Slowly, the imperial forces revealed themselves to her in great number. It seems that they've been hiding under branches of broken trees as a cheap form of camouflage. There were more of them than Alicia expected, right now, more than 20 soldiers were appearing from the bushes.
Ratta! Ratta!
"Bang bang baby!" Aika said tauntingly as she fired at some imperials with her rifle.
Ratta! Ratta!
"Let me help!" Alicia said beside her as they worked together to take down a heavily armored Lancer.
Just then, something caught their attention.
Drrrrrrrr...
An Imperial tank slowly drove forward as its make-shift camouflage slowly fell apart. It was a medium tank but it was a tank nonetheless. There were clear damages on its armor but its turret still appeared to be usable. The tank turret slowly turned and aimed at Alicia and Aika's location. The two girls looked at each other once before jumping away in opposite directions. The tank fired a round straight at them that exploded in a cloud of blue smoke.
The moment she hit the dirt, Alicia immediately contacted Welkin about the tank.
"Lieutenant! Imperial tank sighted! Requesting lancer support, over!"
"Understood." Welkin immediately contacted the lancers he knew were best suited for the job. "Largo, Elysse! Locate Alicia and that tank then attack it from its flank!"
"Roger~"
"Got it boss!"
Even as Nicolas sniped imperials off one by one, he still maintained his attention on Lieutenant Gunther. So far he's impressed with his work and is actually beginning to see the reason why he is recommended for the Magus Division. He smiled contently as he fired shot after shot. Beside him was Marina, who also remained silent as she focused on her job. Marina had been observing this new private ever since he readied his rifle.
"HAH!" Largo's lance pierced the exposed ragnite behind the enemy tank. Having struck its weakness, the tank explodes into a fiery blue flame.
"Target neutralized~" Elysse, the second lancer said with a cheerful tone. She had fired her own round a minute earlier, a round that had disabled the tank's main turret.
Eventually the imperial forces were rallied down to a handful. This handful revealed themselves to be lightly-armed engineered and scouts which were eventually subdued by Squad 7's advance forces. Welkin made his way down to the forest with Zaka and the snipers. He gave a congratulatory pat to Alicia's and Alicia nodded enthusiastically.
"Hey! They're trying to get away!" Vyse shouted as he quickly raised his rifle. Beside him, Nicolas ran up and raised his own sniper rifle.
Two imperials were running their hardest out of the forest. The pair easily caught the attention of Vyse and Nicolas, both were ready to fire. But before they could pull the trigger a pair of men appeared out of nowhere and tackled the Imperials down to the ground. Welkin took a pair of binoculars and looked. Faldio was waving at him with a large smile on his handsome face.
"Hmph." Nicolas said as he lowered his rifle. Vyse watched him as he silently walked away. Vyse takes note of this before walking over this his best friend, Aika.
The rest of squad 7 were tired and were mostly found lying on the ground resting. Faldio walked up to Welkin and soon enough the two of them were in a healthy conversation. Corporal Stark was having a bit too much fun interrogating the Imperial engineers and Sergeant Potter was leaning against a wall smoking. Seeing him like that gave Nicolas the urge to smoke as well. But before he did that, something else had to be done.
He slowly lowered his rifle and began making his way to Alicia Melchiott.
So far so good. Lieutenant Gunther, I am quite impressed. You seem to be very capable of keeping your squad together. Now, it's time for one last test.
Alicia wiped her sweaty brow as she conversed with Private Nelson. But just then, Nicolas moved forward in a single bound, surprising Alicia and the other girls. Nicolas moved swiftly as he restrained Alicia's hands behind her back with his own. He pulled her closer to him as he suddenly draws his pistol and aims it at her head. Edy, Susie and Aisha shriek in surprise as Alicia grunts painfully.
"Heh…"
"What's going on there!?" Welkin said as he immediately noticed the situation. Faldio stood beside him with his handgun drawn.
"Yo." Nicolas said in a cold voice. His hands gripped Alicia's arm tighter. "Do you know what I always wondered? If a Valkyrur's regenerative powers would be enough to save them from a headshot."
"Nicolas! Lower that weapon right now!" Welkin ordered with conviction.
"Oh? Are you raising your voice to me, boy? You are in no position to disrespect me like that." The cold voice belonged to Nicolas Maxwell, a man who held Alicia at gunpoint. His left arm held Alicia's hands behind her back, while his other held the gun to her temple. He maintained a calm composure despite standing in the middle of a circle of upheld rifles. All of squad 7 now had their weapons raised, their fingers on the trigger, ready to shoot the man they once thought as their ally.
That was when Nicolas made his bold announcement.
"I am an Imperial Assassin here to kill the Gallian Valkyrur!" His voice surprised everyone. But Alicia and Welkin were the most surprised. "What are you going to do now... Lieutenant Gunther?"
How are you going to cope with this situation? Are you going to save your girlfriend or are you going to kill me?
I. Am. Very. Curious.
Chapter 1
End
A/N: Well, this chapter is finally up. It's a tad long in my terms, but it's all good... it's all good...
"NOW REVIEW!! MAGGOTS!!" - Rodriguez