Chapter 21
"Before we got involved with the Brythonia Campaign we had all shared the experience of the long drawn out battle for Beacon, Vale and even the Hurin Valleys. To us it seemed like we had an understanding in what went on in the life of a soldier. Now in retrospect it was a clear that these few battles, even one of considerable ferocity such as the Battle of Vale, were only footnotes the career of a professional soldier. The first of many lessons would be learned in a cruel way as we stepped into the Realm of Brythonia."
Lie Ren sat in the Taurus as he watched dozens of men in mismatched army or civilian clothing moving around to attend to the various shoddily built palisades and shallow fox holes dug in around the perimeter of Alnerwick.
It had been an hour since they moved into the small town, at first though things hadn't gone very smoothly. When Major Bertran had approached earlier in his Chimera Command and Reconnaissance tank earlier he had been forced back as small arms peppered the armored vehicle.
They had all assumed the town was in control of the Rebels but shortly after a delegation was sent out with a white flag. It soon became clear that the townsfolk fired upon them under the assumption they were either rebels in disguise or one of the mercenary groups that the Rebels were apparently bringing in to counter the 9th Brigade forces already fighting in the Brythonian Realm.
The steady rumble of tanks in the distance briefly stole his attention as it signaled the arrival of the main strength of the Armored Battalion attached to their Regiment that also brought up the rear of the Regiment.
Ren turned back to the local levies, he had also taken the time to talk with some of them, though most of them simply ignored him or gave curt answers he was still able to piece together that they were in fact in Rebel territory. Alnerwick however had remained loyal and as such suffered for it which he could see evidence of by the seemingly thin population and numerous damaged buildings.
"This is crazy." Nora whispered from her own seat, she was watching Hilda examining a line of injured people with four other Arcadian Field Chiurgeons.
Other soldiers were milling about; Captain Salvi had been by to tell them to keep it tight while they figured out their next steps.
Ren of course figured that they wouldn't be staying here; from how it has been described holding position here would run counter to their primary mission, to link up with the 9th Brigade. Sure fighting the Brythonian Rebels was a part of that but he figured Jaune would prefer to stick close to their known operational guidelines as it had the least amount of questions attached to it.
"You're awfully quiet." Nora said as she stood in her seat to get a better look at him.
"What? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking." Ren said looking at her, Nora had updated her look a little just as he had, mainly by adding a pair of the hard shell vambraces and greaves used by the infantrymen. Ren had done the same, it felt a little odd to wear them but they weren't cumbersome or really obtrusive, they added a little degree of stiffness that he was told would be unnoticeable after some time.
"Well?" Nora asked and Ren nodded around them.
"A part of me feels like I should be shocked or appalled by what we're seeing. A town decimated by people, the lives and homes of this town will be forever changed by what's happen. It's bad enough that the Creatures of Grimm do these things but why are people so destructive when we have a bigger threat to deal with." Ren said feeling a familiar sadness followed by rage brew in him before fizzling out as he noticed the sadness in Nora's distant eyes, her own memories clearly playing through her mind.
"What is it that Areto likes to say? Man's worst enemy is himself?" Nora asked and Ren nodded as Hilda approached them. He couldn't help but notice she was pulling off latex gloves dotted with blood.
"How is it?" Ren asked and Hilda sighed before taking a sip of water from a canteen.
"It's a bloody nightmare, lacerations from shrapnel, broken or dislocated bones, gunshot wounds, second and third degree burns on top of that there are signs of infection starting to show. They did their best in treating some of the serious cases but they don't have the manpower or supplies to handle this so I reckon if we don't stay at least a few days to help them then they're going to be burying every tenth patient with two being crippled for life." Hilda surmised and Ren nodded as he looked at an old man who was actually supporting a young woman with a bandaged head.
"I doubt we'll be here long enough to actually help." A new voice said they turned to see First Lieutenant Nina Catalani; the company's second in command, approaching them.
"What? These people are Loyalists aren't they? We're supposed to be fighting to help them. Besides if we leave then more of them are going to die before a week has passed." Hilda asked and Nina nodded.
"True but you have to realize we're in hostile territory; if we stay here we'll be painting a target not only on us but the people here as well."
"I know we're in enemy territory, so doesn't that mean we should stick it out to fight? It'll be useful to fight the enemy on a new front that might divert attention away from another place."
"We can't defend it; we don't have the resources to strengthen the defenses nor keep these people alive indefinitely."
"So we're just going to abandon them?" Nora asked.
"We were never meant to save them in the first place."
Elsewhere…
Jaune stood in a meeting room of Alnerwick's town hall or really what was once a meeting room as it had been blown wide open during some sort of battle. One whole wall was torn down leaving debris all over the exposed room. With him was the majority of the officers of the Regiment save for a few key individuals who were seeing to other pressing matters as well as the two people in charge of the town.
"This is a mess." Jaune said as he looked out the hole, in the square below them were numerous tents that had been set up; most of them were townsfolk whose homes had sustained too much damage to live in while others were covering medical and food stations. Captain Wallace was down there as well, distributing food, water and other spare material. While the bulk of the Regiment's medical staff led by Chief Medical Officer Major Mathide Osment assisted the stressed out medical stations. Keegan was also off supervising repairs or helping to form defensive positions for the townsfolk.
"We tried our best; Mayor Barzic along with most of our council was killed during the initial revolt while they were holding an emergency meeting, sympathizers in the council who knew we wouldn't betray our oaths tried to take the town from within by setting off bombs around the town. The rest of the damaged occurred in the fighting afterward." Deputy Mayor Rault said. He was a portly man with a balding head that seemed to be constantly glistening with sweat as he dabbed away at his forehead with a moist looking handkerchief.
"How come you two survived then? You and Sheriff Kervran should have been present at that meeting." First Lieutenant Barbara Faerber, the Regiment S2 in charge of intelligence, asked looking at Rault and another man who stood nearby smoking a cigar. He was a short barreled chested man with a mean looking face complete with a nose that looked like it was broken then never properly reset.
"The Sheriff and I both had issues that needed dealing with that required us to be away, Mayor Barzic had asked me to attend an emergency meeting with the local merchant guild representatives." Rault said hastily.
"And I was at the station; my lads had broken up a massive bar fight that nearly turned into a riot after some outsiders tried talking some nonsense about rebelling against the Crown. In retrospect I bet they were planted there to try fostering some good faith with the populace if the coup had succeeded." The other man said.
"What happened afterward?" Heim interjected looking at Rault who wrung his hands together.
"Damage control mostly, we reckon that at least sixteen bombs went off. We were lucky that it seemed like they wanted to keep certain key locations intact such as the police station mainly for the weapons stored in there and the hospital. That being said they hit our power station so we have no reliable means of communications or information since we don't have the materials to even begin to fix the damage. Three bombs were also used on the eastern bridges leading out of town towards what we suspect would take us to Loyalist territory so that means there's no easy way out. The others damaged enough of the town's infrastructure that waterlines were breached in three different locations depriving more than half of the town of clean running water." Rault explained.
"And this was all before the first attack you mentioned to us earlier right?" Heim asked.
"Yes ma'am, the Sheriff can explain that better than me. I'm no fighter." They looked towards the other man who tossed his cigar away before pulling out something from his tattered blue greatcoat, a map, as he laid it out on an intact portion of the large meeting table for them to see Jaune noticed the various marks on it no doubt what he's been using to coordinate the town's defense.
"It only took a day but a group of Levies from our western neighbor, a town called Leyburn, came here about fifty strong led by one of their Councilmen. They wanted to know what was going on and asked to see specifically the lead conspirator to the coup; unbeknownst to them I had already executed him by hanging that morning. When he found that out however he demanded that we pledge our allegiance to the Rebellion saying all kinds of bullshit but that isn't important."
"Actually, what did he say?" Faerber asked.
"It was just the usual stuff to make them look like the good guys, saying that we should rise up with them to support Arch-Knight Lac's righteous revolution to depose the corrupted and incompetent heir to the throne before installing a just King though we all know he just wants the crown. Then talking about how most of the Realm was rising up along with many of the Lords and most of the Army supporting him." Kervran explained as Faerber seemed to write that down before Jaune gestured for the Sheriff to continue.
"Anyways, we ended up killing him and most of the Levies he brought before cutting their heads off then having five of them that we decided to spare randomly take them back with our answer." Kervran said simply and Jaune found it a little surprising at the nonchalant manner the man had but decided not to respond.
"A few days later however Leyburn retaliated. A new force was assembled to march on us this time they had a two hundred strong militia led by their remaining contingent Levies around one hundred strong. The real kicker was the fact that a second town, Merwood, which is twice the size of us, sent a force as well. So on top of the force sent by Leyburn there was another six hundred Levies from Merwood."
"And you managed to fight them off?" Jaune asked the first real question he had voiced since this meeting had started.
"Well yes and no. Leyburn's actually smaller than us so when we killed that first group we cut off about a third of their actually Levies so most of the people they sent at us were just normal people that just happened to be able to shoot a gun. Not even trained monthly like the Levies they had so we were able to rout them after a morning of solid fighting. The real problem came from Merwood's Levies, the training those bastards had showed very quickly along with the gear they were sporting. I think we watched them wheel in about at least a dozen light caliber field guns. In response our six guns were outmatched quickly and they pushed into the town hard, we were only saved by a mix of events. The Grimm came in from the north cutting into their rear just as they began to encircle us while a stray Loyalist section of Armor came up from the south."
"Armor?" Major Thredaon Amberstriker, commanding officer of the Regiment's attached Armored Battalion asked.
"Yes, four Lionheart Crusader Tanks, a pair of Ironside Assault Tanks and a Devil Dog." This caught most of the assembled officers by surprise but Jaune kept his ignorance hidden as he had no idea what the last one was.
"What happened to them?" Heim asked.
"They broke the enemy's rear scattering them before running into the Grimm which they had no idea were in the town, they lost two tanks from them before the Rebels regrouped then pulled away then for the next few days it became just quick skirmishes against us. They'll move into multiple positions during night then they would start firing at us with their field guns as they pushed infantry along another point of the town then withdraw the moment the Armor appeared. It continued on like this for a while before I guess the lead Tank Commander ordered a full blown attack, they were monitoring the radios and picked up that Rebel Armor had been dispatched to hunt them down. So he took his tanks, along with about eighty men who volunteered to go with him to draw the Rebels away from our town. It's been mostly quiet since then but we've gotten refugees coming up from the south who bring the only news or in truth rumors we've heard since this all began." He finished and Jaune nodded slowly.
"What sort of rumors?"
"It's a mess of things really, some are saying that the Rebels crossed the Hafren River to besiege Durham after beating a regiment of your kin which in turn means that the Rebels have a straight shot at cutting the northern front in two. Others are saying that Óengus razed Isca to the ground in the south west which would mean the Rebels would probably pull back from their campaigns to protect their broken western flank. Others are saying that Arch-Knight Lac has brought in Mercenaries from the outside or has stolen or uses Archeotech to even the odds against the Arcadian army that keeps him from the throne. That one I feel has some truth to it since the tank commander in the Devil Dog said his crew stole it before abandoning their posts just as the rebellion started. That's not even going into the darker rumors, with the Kingdom and its allies tied up by this rebellion people are saying that the Grimm have been seen as far south as Emburacum even more even worse there are rumors of sightings and even massacres perpetrated by the Outsiders." In the corner of his eye Jaune could see the armored form of Areto shift at that and he knew that was something he would need to discuss with her. He cleared his throat before looking up at the sky, the sun was barely at its zenith but even still he knew that they had stayed for longer than they should have.
"Alright then, Heim pass the word to the Battalion commanders, we're dust in thirty. Svangeirsson, Faerber, consult with the maps they have and see to it that we have a main route and some backups for heading south. Lange I need you to go inform Osment, Wallace and Keegan to start wrapping up operations but make sure that they see about leaving what supplies we can spare but just the minimum since we don't know what we'll be dealing with when we're on the road." Jaune said as he turned towards the deputy Mayor and Sheriff. The former looked stunned while the latter looked unsurprised.
"But Commander Arc, we need you here, if the Rebels come back at us I don't think we'll be able to hold off them off this time." Rault said but Jaune held up his hand.
"I understand your concern and for what it's worth we'll probably draw any attention they have on you until the end of winter."
"Winter is going to be the end of us as well if you don't stay; we don't have the resources to survive this season." Jaune sighed at that, the man wasn't wrong, the death toll from cold or sickness will be high yet on a morbid note if they rationed their supplies for the able bodied and young then they would probably have enough to survive.
"I can't help you." Jaune said instead and the Sheriff guided the Deputy Mayor away after giving a surprising nod or at least that's what Jaune felt the nod was but it didn't really matter. By that point most of the occupants of the room had left save for Areto, four soldiers in full battledress from his retinue along with his appointed vox operator a woman by the name of Albuin Hessel.
"How long do they really have?" Jaune asked looking at Areto.
"Not long, Bertran's last patrol indicated a large Rebel unit heading this way but I wouldn't put it pass them to have at least one or two other units heading this direction."
"Maybe but we haven't been here long enough for them to know that we're here so I think they would just be expecting to fight these towns folk so we will have the element of surprise when we ride out. Though probably not for long the moment we engage or get spotted after that it's a race against the clock till we reach a friendly lines since I doubt the Rebels will want to have a fully armed and armored Regiment behind their lines." Jaune said but Areto stepped forward before grabbing Jaune's arm before guiding him to the side until he was no longer by the destroyed wall.
"What's wrong?" He asked as the former Housecarl moved towards the opening, her polearm in one hand while the other gripped the hilt of her sword.
"It's nothing but we should move." She said after a moment, Jaune sighed as he along with the retinue moved after her.
Meanwhile…
In a small room tucked away in one of the many buildings surrounding the town center, a man let the heavy canvas curtain fall back into place over the only window in the room. He immediately began to pack his things, the long lens camera, the portable radio set and the sound capture device that he had used to bug the town hall.
His mission had been to monitor the Loyalists in Alnerwick, passing along their strength and weakness to his superiors. When they were ready to attack he'll also set off the remaining explosives he had found in one of conspirators safe houses.
Now though the arrival of the Arcadians presented a new target to be focused on. While dealing with Alnerwick was important and wouldn't be delayed, new forces had to be drawn up as soon as possible to try eliminating this threat.
He also needed to make note that this enemy regiment had an important person in it that he was sure that even Arch-Knight Lac would take notice of.
A hungry smile touched his lips as he could imagine the rewards being given to him for such a find.
1 Hour Later…
Pyrrha looked out the rear of the troop truck as a fresh wave of soft thunder rolled out. From what she pieced together, the Rebels had tried to surround Alnerwick just as they were leaving. The trailing elements of Amberstriker's Armored Battalion ended up getting caught out which caused a brief but violent clash that routed a Rebel force that tried to stop them.
Now Amberstriker's Battalion was lagging behind as they were fending off a trailing unit of Rebels. They had learned to stay just far enough out of gun range of the powerful long range guns of the Actaeon Tank Destroyers and Sicaran Heavy Tanks when six of their vehicles were destroyed as they got to close.
"Ach, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth doesn't it." A voice spoke and Pyrrha turned to the soldier she was sitting next to, she couldn't be sure of who it was as they had their helmet on but it vaguely soundly like the Lizard Faunus that was constantly flirting with one of the woman in the platoon.
"Meh, it is what it is; they were doomed either way we looked at it." Another soldier said across from them.
"Still, I think what he means is that we could have stayed back to fight off at least this attack." Pyrrha said looking at the other helmed soldier who shook their head.
"You're not wrong there Huntress but I also didn't mean to make it sound like we needed to stay there. I'm merely talking about how that even if we end this Rebellion within the week that town is going to have to be abandoned for the foreseeable future." The man clarified and Pyrrha made a sound of understanding.
"Oooh, right, you're talking about the damages done to it and how it will draw the Creatures of Grimm to them." She said and the man tapped his helmeted head with a hard knuckle gloved hand.
"Catch on quick but to add onto the damage portion of what you said, winter is on us and they don't have the infrastructure to protect themselves during that time. If we had stayed only to get caught in a snow storm or something then what supplies we have will run out quickly since there's probably still more than a thousand people living there." He explained.
"Don't forget once the Rebels know an enemy regiment is holding out behind their lines, cut off from any friendly forces then they'll come down on us hard. So it's best to try making it to friendly lines." The other soldier chimed in and Pyrrha nodded as she held up her own hands to slow them down.
"Look I get what you're trying to tell me but a part of me still wishes I could help the people in Alnerwick." Pyrrha said but the soldiers said nothing so she looked out the back of the truck again. The distant rumble of combat continued to follow them like an ill omen.
Elsewhere…
Further up the line near the tip of the 1st Battalion's section Jaune was standing behind the two Chimera crewmen as they rumbled down the road. He turned towards the other occupants of the armored personnel carrier, eight soldiers and Areto spear heading a loose formation of nine other Chimeras.
He was running the numbers through his head since they left Alnerwick estimating that if all goes to plan and they don't run into any opposition as they made their way south they should be make contact with friendly forces in less than a few hours. Their goal was to cross the Hafren River which according to the information they got in Alnerwick marked the boundary line between Rebel zones and the contested zones where most of the fighting was happening in the northern territories. Though if the rumors were true then the Rebels had already crossed the Hafren further south which potentially meant that they would still be in Rebel territory with a high chance of running into an enemy force that could prove to be a problem.
Supposedly not far from Alnerwick was a small fishing village that lay next to a relatively small ford that they could cross. It was their best shot at getting across without getting to close to the next largest town in the area, Loidis. Which also happened to be the local capital and was rumored to have at least a ten thousand strong army garrisoned in it as it was the stronghold dedicated to defending the Rebel's northern territory.
As he was thinking about that an older thought that he had pushed aside popped up into his mind from the meeting that he had been waiting to ask.
"So what were those Outsiders that the Sheriff mentioned?" Jaune asked looking towards Areto who cradled both her poleaxe and sword in her lap.
"It's exactly what you think; they are beings who should not be here as they do not belong in our world."
"So they're Neverborn?" Areto looked at him, her red optics seeming to exude the disapproving look on her face that he could not see.
"Careful when you talk of those that dwell avoid our sight Jaune, they are monsters but they're not fools. To answer your question however, no, as far as I know there is a fundamental difference between Outsiders and the Archenemy."
"And what's that?"
"They are actual living beings." She replied but the look on Jaune's face must have said enough that she needed to expand.
"You have to understand this Jaune, the Neverborn and their foul patrons are things. They merely exist, for as long as there was life, they existed, much like the Grimm in a way. Like the Grimm they are not born but created by their gods." For some reason Jaune's ears began to ring softly with that last word, a quick glance around the compartment and he could tell the others in there were starting to get uncomfortable.
"The Outsiders however, are living creatures, think of them like actual people. That's the difference."
"So if they're people, how come the Brythonians are afraid of them, are they evil or dangerous? Like the Archenemy?"
"There's a difference between being feared and evil Jaune. While I don't know the details as that's only something people like Talbek or your father could understand. The way I figure it is that the way they got here was an ordeal that no person can go through and be wholly sane afterwards. That makes them unstable but not inherently evil however I guess this conflict has them riled up or something. Think of it like a wild animal, they're not evil but they can be dangerous if you're foolish enough to antagonize them or get to close."
"She's not wrong Commander." One of the soldiers spoke up finally near the rear hatch, a private by the name of Ronald Lewisohn if Jaune recalled correctly.
"I had an uncle that served in the 104th Division; they encountered a group of people that wondered into Argus. They weren't citizens or Outlanders as they didn't speak any known language nor did they look like anything we had ever seen. They wore either chain mail or laminar armor with shields that sported some white tree."
"What happened to them?" Jaune asked and the man shrugged.
"They tried to get them to stay since they seemed friendly but they refused so we gave them as much supplies as they would accept before they left and we never saw them again. My uncle said that he sent patrols after to see if they could track them down but there was never any sign of them. Yet as the Praetorian has said, Outsiders are varied as much as one Outland town is with another or a Kingdom is when compared to another Kingdom." The man finished and Jaune flashed him a smile as he bowed his head slightly.
"I cannot argue against that Lewisohn, thank you for the insight." He said and the soldier waved it off.
"Commander, Bertran is on the line for you." Hessel spoke up holding out the handset for Jaune to take.
"This is Watcher to Sol, come in Sol." A voice said over the line referencing the retinue's code name while using the 4th's own code name. Faerber and Svangeirsson had insisted that once they left Alnerwick that they would use codenames over their vox channels as long as they were in enemy territory or active combat zones citing security reasons.
"This is Sol standing by to receive." Jaune replied.
"Watcher has located target Primus and has secured it with no signs of movement from it, it looks to be deserted."
"Acknowledged stand by Watcher." Jaune said before thinking about this, the implication of the fishing village made him think that at some point the Rebels had either threatened it or the villagers believed they would threatened to some degree. It was better to play it safe and assume the Rebels knew about the ford and if the trailing units following them from Alnerwick had been reporting their movements then there's a chance that the enemy might advance on them as they cross.
"Watcher this is Sol, ready to receive?" Jaune asked.
"Watcher here, standing by to receive."
"Sol requires Watcher to begin Light Phase, be wary of enemy units advancing on our position from the west or east."
"Affirmative, Watcher wishes to gain permission for forward appraisal."
"Appraisal is approved, Sol out." Jaune said before handing Hessel back the handset.
"Broadcast this on regiment command channels that Target Primus is secured and that all units are to proceed with Light Phase. Then inform Heim to start deploying her companies on the north side of the river with intent to cover the rest of the regiment. Areto pass the word along to the rest of the Retinue that we'll be moving either to reinforce the 4th or 1st Battalion's depending on who needs the most help." At this time, the Command Retinue was travelling near the head of the 1st Battalion who were just now cresting over a small incline to see the 4th Battalion moving across the ford, nearby was a small village with about forty or so moderate to small buildings.
Jaune climbed out of the top hatch, the wind whipping through his hair. His new set of armor provided a unique set of protection that he hadn't had before. He wore a standard soldier's combat trousers along with boots.
On top however he wore a cut down version of the Nano-composite Graphene bodysuit that the Praetorians wore that not only covered his entire torso snuggly reaching down to his hips. It also covered his arms down to his hands sheathing them in the synthetic material. It felt so weird to put on as it was like putting pulling down rubber across his skin. While not painful it seemed to adhere to his body until he could coax it further down, he marveled at how easy Areto made it look the few times he'd seen her strip down.
That being said once it was on him it felt odd since it felt like he was wearing just shirt that happened to wrap about his arms and torso but it also masked sensation. He tested it by poking himself to find that whenever he applied pressure to it. The material seemed to lock up then relax when he took the pressure away but he didn't actually feel his finger just the sensation of it firming up. Then as he did a round of training under Areto's supervision he found that it moved incredible well with his body.
If he did have to identify something that he found hard to get used to it would be his hands. As the shirt or leotard, he wasn't quite sure of the technical term of what he was using, had attached hard shell plating around his hands and joints. It was like wearing a thick leather glove with a metal gauntlet on top which made grabbing things feel different if not outright difficult sometimes.
Areto also told him that it gave him reasonable protection in cold or hot climates. In addition to the ability to protect him from small caliber rounds from at least two hundred meters and reasonable protection from most unenhanced melee attacks though it didn't have the shock absorption so if he did take hits then they would still hurt a lot. Which he found interesting as it was in a sense having a second layer of Aura to protect him.
Also unlike the full suit that she wore it couldn't augment his strength nor did it have the same durability so he still had to put in an active effort to keep himself safe.
His old chest plates had been augmented into a more rounded white plated cuirass with a gold trim that wrapped around most of his chest and stomach with two metal clamps going over his shoulders and sides to hold it together instead of leather buckles. Another new feature it had was with a new lipped edge around his neck that he didn't understand until his training session with Areto when she, demonstrated, that it was a gorget to protect his neck.
Then he had a new set of three plated pauldrons that covered his shoulders and upper bicep that was being held in place with three canvas straps in total, one for each plate, the highest one also connected to his breastplate but allowed enough room for him to raise his arms straight up without the two separate plates from impeding the motion.
He also had a new set of vambraces that wrapped fully around his forearms ending with a piece of couter that protected his elbows. He also wore a set of greaves that reached up to cover the front of his knees down to the top of his new leather boots.
Lastly of course was Crocea Mors, before it had been a well-used but clearly taken care of blade but now its blade looked brand new and a part of Jaune felt like it was even bigger. With the cross guard getting extended and the blue leather handle refurbished. The shield looked new and felt a little heavier than before, with the Arc Crest no longer painted but now illustrated by multiple gold strips of metal that lock into place when he opened it.
His father had left a note that was given to him the day he received this new set of armor that he would get more pieces when he either returned to Sanus or they would be waiting when Jaune returned to Vale.
He felt like a new person and an impostor at the same time. While his old gear left much to be desired so he understood the changes, he still oddly missed it.
The Chimera came to a stop and he shook his head out of it. Now wasn't the time to think about those things, this was his first field command of the Retinue as a Regimental Commander.
As they jumped out Jaune looked around, to his far left the road sloped down towards what was the now deserted fishing village where he could see the armored vehicles of the 4th Battalion slowly moving across the five hundred foot wide river ford.
A few hundred feet to his right there were a few small hills with trees and some rocks but most of it was relatively uneven grassland. This wasn't as much of a bad thing since if the enemy found them then there wouldn't be too much a ground advantage or disadvantage to consider.
Across the river ford was a different story, Jaune couldn't tell exactly but it looked a lot more bumpy the towards the south while the eastern and northern directions had a sizable amount of trees at least five or six miles away that would serve as a perfect firing position against them. He reached up and clicked his throat mic when he noticed that the hundred odd soldiers of the retinue were forming around with their Chimeras which rumbled ideally.
"Areto form the company along the nearest hill, Hessel inform the Chimeras to move up behind them to either side, I want them to serve as long range support with their Heavy stubbers." Jaune ordered watching as other soldiers of the 1st Battalion dismounted their transports, two companies moving further south where the road continued on while two companies moved to support the Retinue amongst the hills as the last started getting down amongst the grass watching the northern approach as the lead vehicles of the 2nd Battalion weren't that far off.
"Commander, Major Greppsdóttir is issuing a Retaliation Request." Hessel spoke up quickly from behind Jaune moving towards him urgently with the handset which Jaune took as they knelt down on the ground. A Retaliation Request was a phrased used by some Arcadian forces to request either breaking off from their current orders or to divert a portion of their strength to deal with what they viewed as a threat to their objective.
"Sol to Goliath, how copy?" Jaune asked waiting a second before a voice came over the vox channel.
"This is Goliath to Sol, we read you five by five. Goliath is requesting a Retaliation Order, over."
"Interrogative Goliath, what is the target? Over."
"Acknowledged Sol, stand by." The voice said just as Jaune spotted a squad of soldiers moving towards them no doubt he imagined that it was Colonel Heim's command squad.
"Sol is standing by." Jaune responded before there was a brief pause.
"Goliath has spotted Echo Romeo Victors approaching fast from south by south west, Goliath counts three zero, I repeat, three zero Echo Romeo Victors being escorted by fifteen Echo Romeo Alphas. Over." The voice said Jaune felt a rising sense of dread what had been said was that there were thirty Rebel vehicles on the move with fifteen tanks acting as a spearhead to them.
"Roger that Goliath, Sol requests an ETA on the Echo Romeo Golf, can you determine their target? Over."
"Negative on that first Sol, Goliath sees them moving into a holding position outside of weapon range most likely planning on moving towards the river to engage when ready. Over."
"Stand by Goliath." Jaune said as Heim knelt down next to him. The only reason he knew it was her was because of the silver and black four flanged mace with a sapphire shaped skull built into the center of the haft that was hanging from the waist of the nearest helmed soldier.
"Greppsdóttir has a Rebel group moving parallel with her; it looks like they're trying to get here so I suggest shifting the company guarding the north road either to the west or southern road." Jaune said looking at her and she nodded.
"I agree, can we get the fourth to bring some companies around we might be able to screen our infantry or hit the Rebels as they try to solidify their position."
"Negative, their armor will keep the Chimeras and Tauroses away. Besides that the 4th has to secure the far side of the river while scouting the road for any other enemy elements and it'll take too much time to have them come back when we need to get across the river as soon as possible."
"Amberstriker still has the enemy technicals tailing her battalion, now we have a separate force that seems to be trying to reach the river where we're going to cross to capitalize any vulnerability so I believe that means our timetable has gotten a lot shorter, do we know how much time it'll take to get the Regiment across?" Heim asked and Areto spoke up.
"Svangeirsson and Faerber said that it would take us at least an hour to get everyone across." Heim nodded at that.
"If we work under the assumption that as we're moving the Regiment across the river during combat then it might take more than an hour, then to get our rear guard sorted into their vehicles again that's going to take another ten or fifteen minutes before they're able to start crossing the river. That's also going under the assumption that the Rebels don't overwhelm us. It might be wise to tighten the circle so our companies can shift around to support we each other. Demo the hills then mine the roads and fields leading to the village." Heim suggested but Areto shook her head.
"We can't tighten the circle even if we lay enough explosives to flatten those hills we'll be giving them a reasonable line of sight at anyone crossing the water. Pull as many Chimeras forward with all the available Tauroses we have then have at least two tank platoons pull out of line to support the 1st. As soon as Amberstriker is across the river she can form her tanks along the banks to support us while we cross. In the meantime have the rest of the Regiment push on, if we sit here for too long we might get hit by another enemy exhibition force sent out from Loidis once they get word about this though that is also under the assumption that this new force that Greppsdóttir spotted isn't in fact a vanguard force from there." Areto said.
"I disagree Praetorian, if we maintain our positions then we'll have to pull back across a lot of ground and that will leave the rearmost units the most exposed regardless of the fire support." Heim countered but before Areto can retort Jaune snapped his fingers drawing their attention.
"Areto's right, we can't pull back so we'll pull three tank platoons out of formation along with them 1st Battalion's Chimeras will form up with their corresponding infantry sections to support them, most of the Tauroses will move across the river now to start digging into position along our right and left flanks. I also want word to be passed down that I need at least seven Huntsmen teams to be on standby. I'm thinking we will have the infantry provide a base of fire support while the Huntsmen teams will tag along with two of the three tank platoons to strike out then return along our sectors." Jaune said as he began to draw out a rough map of the area in a patch of dirt to help illustrate his point.
"Three teams will be attached to each tank platoon along with three Chimeras for transports and a few of the remaining Tauroses. While the last team will be kept back to support the infantry in case the enemy try pushing on us during that time. I want word passed along to Captain Herschlag's artillery company that they're to provide support for as long as possible until it's their turn to cross the river then to proceed with the rest of the regiment southward. When it comes time to withdraw, Amberstriker's armored units will cover our withdrawal." Jaune said and Areto watched as Jaune quickly bounced his plan off Heim along with the other company captains who had joined him where he took into account each of their positions.
Heim's 1st Company would be covering the far southwestern flank while the Retinue was situated between the 2nd and 3rd Companies by the hills. While the 4th Company was to protect the northern road until Amberstriker's rear units arrived. Lastly the 5th Company would be spreading its four platoons out to act as reserve forces for each of the companies on the line. Areto couldn't help but admire how serious Jaune was taking this as she was well aware of his insecurities about himself in this position or ability in general. Areto was also taking mental notes to compile into her routine reports that she was to keep of this campaign.
Any objections?" Jaune said looking up and no one said anything
"Then let's get this done." Jaune said as he stood up, rubbing his foot across the dirt, while the others left or were talking into vox units Heim approached him.
"What are you going to be doing during all of this?" She asked and Jaune nodded towards the waiting Areto.
"The Retinue is already deployed so I plan on staying with them and before you argue no I will not leave them behind they're mine to command in the field and if I leave them for their first time then I have no right to command." Jaune said and Heim nodded.
"I didn't mean to offend you Commander; I just needed to tell you to be the first to withdraw when we our times comes. Losing one of us would be a hard blow to morale but the chance of both of us getting hit is something that needs to be avoided at all cost." Jaune knew that it was a valid point and in truth he might have suggested the same thing but in reverse in either case though one of them had to be the first to withdraw from the field.
"Alright Colonel, if the situation allows I will withdraw but I will leave half of the Retinue behind in case their strength is still needed." Jaune said and Heim nodded.
"That sounds fair, sir." She said before her voice dropped even more that Jaune had to strain to hear her.
"You're doing good, keep your head on straight and we'll do fine." She said before giving him a brief but sharp salute before jogging away to return to her company. Jaune was taken aback by the surprisingly supportive words.
He looked towards the sunny sky; a strange calm was starting to grow on him. He didn't quite know why, he had been fretting for days about how well he was going to be able to command the Regiment, worrying about the safety of his troops, their supplies, their plans, how his officers would view him, how his father would react to news about him. With Heim's words however they seemed to have struck a chord that made him feel surprisingly relaxed.
Whether or not that was a good thing he would soon find out.
2 Hours Later…
Pyrrha crouched in a long gully with five dozen soldiers of the 1st Company; the constant sound of combat had become a background noise as soldiers called out to each other whether it was over the vox channels or just by yelling loudly. Everything was chaotic, no matter how much she tried to pay attention she knew that a million things were happening that she had no clue were happening or she just couldn't focus on.
What she did know was that the fighting had only started about an hour and a half ago. A group of tanks, armored vehicles and Huntsmen were sent out as a strike group to keeping the Rebels off balanced. It apparently had mixed results, from what Pyrrha's been able to hear they knocked out several Rebel Tanks along with fifty or so soldiers while losing a Huntsman and two Tauroses in exchange.
Unfortunately it seemed Jaune and the other officers had been wrong about the size of the force that was coming after them. As after the strike groups pulled back more Rebels began to appear. Pyrrha felt like that there were a few thousand soldiers attacking the 1st Battalion with who knows how many tanks, support weapons and field guns firing from a distance.
1st Battalion had engaged them further out in the field at first which had been a mistake. As the weight of numbers pushing them back hard and quick luckily they found the gully they were currently taking cover in. Though Pyrrha wasn't too sure how the rest of the company was holding up as the gully wasn't that long. She did know that they ended up leaving two Chimera wrecks behind along with a handful of wounded or soon to be dead soldiers.
Now she along with two platoons from 1st Company was hunkering down. The fiercest fighting however had shifted north of their position. Where she knew Jaune's Retinue would be in the center of it all as she's heard the vox chatter of the Rebels actually charging into their position more than once already.
Another problem they were facing came in the form of a twenty strong Dragoon squadron that was constantly strafing them. The anti-air rockets that she'd seen soldiers fire after them didn't seem to be that useful as the Dragoons released counter measures, outmaneuvered them or tanked the hits with their Aura. While at best the ground fire from heavy stubbers or other small arms was just warding them off when they got to close.
"How much longer are we supposed to be here!?" Pyrrha called out looking towards Hoehmann, who shrugged in return as she tucked away a spent magazine before slotting a new one.
"It doesn't matter just keep watching the line Nikos!" She called back as she stood up over the edge of the gully shouldering her rifle before squeezing off several rounds. A few rounds cracked back at her, one of them glancing off her shoulder pad that Pyrrha could see the bright but brief flare up of a Burn Dust round as she stumbled backwards, the shoulder pad having a chunk ripped out of it with the edge glowing softly.
"Fuck me." The sergeant cursed loudly before shoving back a helping hand from another soldier, there was a short scream of pain nearby and Pyrrha snapped her head around to see another writhing on the ground. Two other soldiers hopped down to help them, Pyrrha could see that they had been hit in the collarbone right above where their chest plate protected. A Field Chiurgeon came running already having their medical kit opened as they worked to remove the armored chest plate to tend the scorched wound.
"Incoming Dragoons!" A voice called over the vox channel in Pyrrha's ear as she looked up to see five Dragoons on their Sky Hunters come down towards them. Pyrrha moved towards the wounded soldier and Chiurgeon before raising Akoúo to cover them as best she could as heavy stubber fire rained down on the area. She could hear shouts of alarm and pain coming as a few others got hit as well.
Ground fire, mostly Heavy Stubber fire arced up towards them. As the Dragoons peeled away Pyrrha could see the flash of Aura as one of them took a burst of Heavy Stubber fire directly while the other banked hard as a trio of Anti-air launchers locked onto them before firing.
At the same time a spattering of explosions blossomed around the edge of the gully causing dirt to rain down on them. A tank shell ripped out a section of the gully wall sending a handful of soldier flying backwards.
Behind them the supporting Chimeras and Tempest tanks were firing their own weapons at the distant enemy. However they were starting to get closer despite the relatively little cover the uneven ground gave them.
Pyrrha could hear someone saying over the vox to start pulling back as the Rebel Armor was spearheading a new push towards the Retinue led northern companies. The soldiers started to move off the edge of the gully, though fireteams remained spaced out trading small arms fire with the advancing enemy.
"He's gone, grab his shit and let's go." A voice yelled from behind her and Pyrrha looked to see the Chiurgeon repacking their medical kit. The soldier on the ground wasn't moving anymore and she watched as the other two soldiers stripped what gear they could off the dead body before moving on.
Pyrrha moved with the others scrambling up the opposite wall of the gully before making the run towards the village with Chimeras and Tempest tanks reversing slowly as they provided covering fire.
The crack of rifle fire could be heard behind her like the time Nora popped a three meter long bubble wrap in their dorm room by rolling on it. She could see the sparks of Dust rounds striking the armored vehicles. While around her she could see the ground kicking up chucks of burning dirt with the occasional frozen clump as well.
Instinctually she spun around holding her shield in front of her as she crouched down intercepting a handful of rifle rounds. She could feel the rounds strike her shield. She didn't bother firing back as she backpedaled then turned around to run down the path after the Chimeras and Tempest Light Tanks as they covered the last fire teams that were making the run towards the village.
A few soldiers fell from getting hit but most of them managed to get up to finish reaching the cover of the buildings. Even then a few of the buildings in the village were already on fire from getting hit either from Rebel fire.
The rest of the Regiment was already across the river heading with south with the bulk of the Armor having crossed leaving only Tempests behind as their light tonnage made it easy to cross the ford. That being said there were still a number of Chimeras and transport trucks lurking in the center of the fishing village to take the ever increasing amount of wounded across the river.
Light mortar and artillery fire was thumping further south across the river as Amberstriker's armor spread out along the river bank. The tank fire for the most part was keeping the Rebel right flank bogged down but it also meant that they were pushing much harder on the left where the angle was to close in hitting friendlies. On top of dealing with the Dragoons strafing them with their beam weapons, even now she could see the fires of a few tanks having gotten hit by them.
A series of flashes caught Pyrrha's eyes as explosions rippled across the twin hills nearby as the beam weapons of the Dragoons hit them followed by the rolling percussion and force of the explosions. Pyrrha thought she could vaguely see the white armored form of Jaune on the hill but she ignored it as a strong blow struck the back of her knee.
Fear passed through her as she tucked into a roll then came up with her shield held ready. Her breathe was coming in raggedly but she realized that it must have been a stray bullet or shrapnel but the sensation of her leg getting hit made her panic nonetheless.
"Stop standing there you idiot and get over here!" A voice called out and Pyrrha forced herself to move over to a pair of soldiers beckoning to her from behind a Tempest Light Tank just as it fired its short barreled cannon. It was an impressive sounding weapon that made her ears hurt a little as it fired. She followed the two soldiers as they made the last stretch of open ground to the village, climbing over the wood fences that marked its boundaries.
The 1st Battalion was now reforming just around the fishing village as the battalion officers organized their companies including their attending transports. Pyrrha could see wounded soldiers getting loaded into a group of trucks and Chimera which were getting ready to rumble away.
Pyrrha looked up as the Dragoons could be seen forming up en masse in the distance, nearby a soldier was readying a Pegasus Anti Air Launcher. Pyrrha counted only seventeen, what she hadn't seen was that two of the Dragoons were killed by the Huntsmen contingent with the 1st Battalion finally getting the third one with rocket fire.
"All squads form up on me." Greyfallow's voice called out from nearby. She looked around and saw a soldier waving to her so she jogged over to him.
"Stick with us Nikos." The soldier said and she recognized Falkenberg's voice.
"Dial your micro bead to channel Sigma-Gamma 64, that's our squad channel you'll hear us as well as the platoon chatter." He said pointing at the side of his helmed head and Pyrrha reached down to the small radio she had tucked away under her sash where she fiddled with the dials before the small green screen showed the channel he had told her to switch to.
He led her with the other soldiers as they moved towards an ever growing group of soldier who were hunkering down behind a trio of Chimeras who were positioned between a pair of bullet ridden wood huts, their gunners letting loose with five or six second bursts of heavy stubber fire. Further out a pair of Tempest tanks firing at a Rebel tank that was pushing up on the main road about a thousand meters out from them. It came apart in a blossom of smoke and fire as one of the two shells managed to penetrate its turret ring.
"Sergeants, give me a count of who's not here!" Greyfallow called out as she visible inspected the troops walking amongst them making sure to keep her head down. It turned out that they were thirteen short; one was missing, nine wounded and three confirmed dead.
"Alright listen up, we're going to start withdrawing by companies, 4th Company got hit hard on the hill so they're moving first, 3rd goes next, followed by the Retinue, the 2nd and us will go together while the remaining Tempests bring up the rear." Greyfallow called out after the count was confirmed, in the distance the sound of rifle fire was getting closer.
"We'll be holding this section of the village; I want support teams posted in the buildings with fire teams in a double skirmish line. We're almost there lads let's finish this up!" Greyfallow called out and Pyrrha followed Falkenberg as they moved towards the right of three Chimeras while an Assault Stubber was being set up in the window of the hut closest to them.
"Keep it spaced! Use whatever you can find for cover!" Hoehmann called out from her position behind an impromptu wall of crates. Pyrrha took cover behind a set of barrels located near the hut with another soldier who was squeezing off some shots with their Agripinaa Precision Rifle variant.
Pyrrha peeked around the barrels; she could see the odd colored uniforms of the Rebels reaching the gully now. Though explosions puffed out as mines that were set in from some of the squads went off, she could see bodies being blown apart in the subsequent explosions. Of course it didn't have much effect as dozens upon dozens jumped into the relatively safety of the gully before poking their heads out to fire their bolt action rifles at them.
Further back a dozen Rebel tanks were starting to push up, the Tempests open up with their main guns as a handful of rocket soared out a few moments later. One shot clearly bounced spinning off to hit the ground, while another shot seemed to have penetrated but also passed through a relatively thin section of the turret though black smoke was starting to leak out from it. Other shells found their marks, a few more bounced but now five Rebel Tanks were knocked out from the fight.
The return fire was startling; as Pyrrha could hear the deep clang of metal being struck hard as the nearest Tempest took a hit that bounced on its front armor. A Chimera that was rolling up behind them wasn't as lucky as it took a direct hit, coming apart in an explosion sending soldiers to the ground near it causing Pyrrha to shield her eyes from the bright flash. Another Tempest took a shot to its barrel that seemed to split its entire length forcing it to start reversing as the other Tempest angled itself into the center of their formation.
"Shit, new contacts on the line!" A soldier called out and Pyrrha looked up. In the distance she could see Rebel soldiers firing their rifles at them but behind them was an entirely different group.
They wore thick leather with an assortment of scale or plate armor pieces over regular cloth. They even had different weapons; Pyrrha could see them all holding round shields of some type while wielding short or compact firearms with melee weapons sheathed at their sides or behind their backs.
"What the fuck are they doing?" Someone asked over the vox but Pyrrha had no answer as a new tank appeared but it was also of a different type than what she had seen so far, the most notable feature aside from an odd design was the wide looking blue barrel.
"It's an Executioner! Take cover!" Someone started screaming, Pyrrha watched as the nearest armor either focused up on this new tank or started reversing.
This new tank fired and there was a series of sounds reminiscent of other energy based weapons Pyrrha has heard but with higher pitched snaps. Three bright blue streaks flew through the air, the first struck one of the Tempest tanks and it came apart in a bright blue explosion that shook the ground a little. The flash faded leaving behind nothing but a smoldering glass crater that fizzed and popped with an orange glow as a ring of flames burned around it.
The second struck amongst a group of infantry that had been retreating. Pyrrha saw that more than a dozen disappeared outright as several more were flung aside like burning rag dolls, some even going through the walls of a few huts. She shut her eyes with this second blast; the first had been bright enough to leave after images in her vision but now she eyes hurt a little.
As Pyrrha was giving her eyes a break from watching the two blasts she didn't see where the third shot hit. Though considering she could still hear the distinct clap of a new explosion nearby meant they it must have landed somewhere in the village.
"Brace for melee!" Greyfallow's voice called over the vox channel and Pyrrha opened her eyes to look up in time to see over a hundred of the shield wielding soldiers charging at them. Small arms fire rattled from their lines as they moved with their shields up. Pyrrha could tell that these were light caliber submachine guns or cut down assault rifles either meant to keep an enemy's head down as they got into melee range or to fight up close with.
She shifted her weapon into its rifle form before bracing it on her shield arm, she lined up a shot then began to fire trying to place her shots to go between any gaps or exposed limbs that the shields couldn't cover. The other soldiers had the luxury of just laying down a greater rate of fire with their larger magazines or Assault stubbers.
The advancing enemy fell as their shields either broke apart or were punctured by mass of small arms and support weapon fire. Rockets and heavy stubber fire reaped a more noticeable toll amongst them ripping through or taking chunks out of their ranks.
Despite all that Pyrrha could also see that there was a fair number of Aura protected individuals, as she saw shields withstand a burst of heavy stubber fire that had just ripped apart a previous shield wielding warrior was an obvious clue.
Further behind them a part of her noticed that the Rebel Armor was turning to face the riverside as another tank went up in flames before firing off a salvo of rounds before pushing towards it.
"All units standby for danger close fire support then start withdrawing by squads." Greyfallow's voice came in more strained than usual.
Pyrrha however was certain that they wouldn't get away cleanly so she emptied the remaining rounds she had in her weapon before quickly reloading it.
She stood up then moved out into the open behind a torn up wood fence marking the boundary of the fishing village. To either side of her more than a dozen soldiers moved into a rough line with her, their own choice of melee weapons in hand with their sidearms.
There was even two other Huntress, a tall woman with silver hair wearing a mix of silver armor and a long blue greatcoat wielding a bluish grey rifle that she fired two more times before it switched into a basket-hilted sword. A second, shorter woman with short brown hair with mouse ears on top that was wearing a mix of leather and plate pieces stood next to the first while wielding a large type of battle axe.
Pyrrha looked ahead as the enemy got less than forty feet from them, small caliber rounds sparked off her shield as she fired a few more rounds before sprinting forward, leaping over the fence towards the enemy. To either side the soldiers gave a shout as they fired their sidearms before moving to meet the enemy.
The first person she met already had a short handle axe arching up to meet her; she spun to the left before slamming Akoúo into the outstretched arm before twisting left at the waist as she brought her sword in for a lunge that struck the man's neck.
He had Aura to save his life but the force of the blow was enough to send him staggering back before the next two came at her. She parried the first blade then stepped in sending a kick into the shield of the second man trying to get around the first before twisting around flinging Akoúo into the face of the other man. The edge of her shield crushed the bone in his upper jaw pushing broken bone fragments, teeth and flesh down his throat as he died.
A fourth came at her, firing his short barreled weapon at her, several shots struck her in the back as she spun around into a low crouching shifting her sword into its javelin form taking him in the face. She recoiled on the inside a little at the sickening feeling of brief resistance before the wide blade tip crunched though his skull.
The first man yelled as he charged at her once more, his axe coming up from a high angle aiming for her head. With a twist she pulled her javelin free before intercepting the axe blow, she kicked once at his exposed knee causing it to buckle before slamming her armored forehead into the bridge of the man's nose. This time she got an audible crunch as his Aura gave way making him fall back with blood streaming from his face from his demolished nose.
Pyrrha spun around at that moment using her javelin to knock aside another man's sword thrust but he stepped back avoiding the follow up. She didn't give him the chance to regain the initiative as she reached out with her semblance to jerk his sword forward pulling him off balanced only to have her javelin cut into his stomach.
The blade punched deep as she pushed forward sending him onto his back, she pulled her weapon out and he started to scream loudly as he writhed on the ground holding his midsection in pain. Pyrrha had to gulp at the sour taste in her mouth as she focused her mind trying to tune it out.
Calling back her shield to her hand she turned around just as the third man from before came at her with another warrior behind him. She stabbed once at the closer of the two making his shield come up so her blade thumped relatively harmlessly though it left the shield with a deep dent, using her semblance on his shield she pulled his aside in a vicious jerk. The second man yelled something she didn't recognize as he slashed at her.
Shifting her javelin back into a sword she parried the blow before striking with Akoúo aiming for his face but his companion slammed his own weapon down making her miss, she kicked the man in front of her in the chest as she broke contact.
She cursed loudly as she ended up stumbling across a broken section of fence letting the two warriors close in sensing weakness. However it was a ruse as Pyrrha flung her blade into the face of the man with no shield. The gladius blade went deep, going through his skull until it reached the hilt.
The other man slashed at her but she ducked under the blade then slammed the edge of Akoúo into his ankle. However he had Aura so it didn't have the desired effect. With seconds to act Pyrrha pivoted as she reached up to grab the man's wrist as he tried stabbing down at her before standing up then thrust her hip out to leverage him over her shoulder throwing him to the ground.
Calling her bloody weapon to her hand she spun flinging Akoúo down into the man's face. The shield bounced hard off it as it came back to her hand just as she swung down, the edge of her sword cracking his Aura. She pulled her arm back once more as the man started yelling holding his hands out just as she swung again; her blade came down on his face. As she withdrew her sword she could see that she had crushed his eye and split his head open revealing the tarnished mess of his brain underneath.
Pyrrha turned around just as an explosion ripped open the ground nearby sending her stumbling back but what she hadn't known was there had been half a dozen fallen bodies there. Something warm and moist fell on her and when she looked down she was horrified at seeing that someone's intestines had covered her.
With a desperate fervor she pulled at it, feeling her mouth flood with spit as her first attempt at getting the warm, pinkish red, matter off made it rip slightly as it got caught on her armor.
As she finally got it off her body, her breath was coming in ragged gasps as she looked around. She spotted three enemy warriors trying to kill a soldier as a fourth grappled him from behind. The soldier kicked at one of them as they got close while another stabbed at him with a short sword but the blade either glanced off his chest plate or Aura in either case it was clear he needed help.
Pyrrha leapt towards them, she flung Akoúo at the nearest guy striking the back of his neck making him drop instantly as his Aura was low enough that the force of the blow cracked his neck. Immediately after she threw her javelin firing off a round to propel it fast into a second piercing his chest.
Using her semblance she brought her shield back to her hand as she slammed her fist into the third man's helmed face as it turned towards her. She grimaced as her fist struck the metal cheek guard; his Aura protected him allowing him to get a counter strike in with his sword to strike her chest. She held up her free hand using her semblance to manipulate his sword, stopping it from going any further.
She stepped back ripping it out of his grip then whipping it around in a wide circle building up momentum before slamming it into his head.
He staggered back but before Pyrrha could continue the soldier who she had come to help fired five quick shots into the side of the man's helmed head. The first two broke his Aura before the last three blew a hefty chunk of his head out.
She didn't bother thanking the soldier as they pulled a knife out of the last man's eye before picking up a fallen sword while reloading his handgun. The fighting was starting to die down giving her a chance to start looking around.
The enemy charged had been checked, she could see the two Huntresses standing amongst a proverbial pile of corpses. While the Arcadians moved amongst the fallen bodies, helping comrades or making sure some of the fallen as others moved up to bolster their numbers. Some of them began to trade fire with the distant riflemen or to put bullets into the bodies of the enemy on the ground to make sure they were actually dead.
Yet it was clear the Rebel riflemen were pulling back as was the last two remaining tanks, one of which being the unique tank that made the soldiers panic earlier.
What she hadn't known was that the bulk of the Regiment was returning to the river; with them was a new unit, a three thousand strong force of Brythonian Loyalists.
The renewed firepower forced the Rebel right flank to retreat allowing for Heim to divert platoons along with three Huntsmen teams to strike the exposed side of the main push. The Dragoons were the only ones to score good hits in return but they were severely outnumbered and outgunned.
As the sheer amount of ground fire drove the Dragoons away after four of them were shot down in quick succession when several dozen autocannons, heavy stubbers and anti-air rockets fired at them.
At this point Pyrrha watched as the rest of the platoon moved back into position. Shots were still coming in making them keep their heads low but for the most part the fighting was over. Three Tempests rolled past them, one of them being the Tempest with the crippled main gun, send bursts of Heavy Stubber fire after the retreating rebels.
With that, their first taste of fighting the enemy was done. Pyrrha had no idea how well they had done but she felt better about herself.
Pyrrha had gone into the fight thinking she'd do poorly but for the most part she had come out okay. Then she remembered the flash of fear at feeling her leg getting hit made her pause as her mind started to race in thought.
She didn't know why but her mind got stuck on what had happened realizing how crazy it had also been, the screaming of rage or pain, the smell of smoke mixed with cooking meat. The disgusting sensation of human entrails covering her, her senses were getting overwhelmed that it felt like her mind was coming apart at the seams.
"No, no, no." She whispered to herself as she pressed of the heel of her hands to her eyes noting the wet texture but fearing what she'll see if she removed them. So she moved towards where she had last seen a hut.
Then her mind changed to a different nightmare, it flashed her images from the night on top of Beacon Tower, the pain in her ankle from Cinder's arrow, the fear of losing. Not just losing her life but everything she had worked so hard for, her friends, her team, Jaune, her happiness.
It felt hard to breathe and there was an odd burning pain in her ankle as she put a shaky hand against the tattered remains of a hut's wall as she tried to stay out of sight from the others. Her vision was cloudy by a smear of blood that she had somehow gotten on her hands or face and from the tears. Putting her back to the wall she slid down before tucking her legs, her body shaking as tried shutting out the world.
Pyrrha was still shaking by the time Areto had found her.