Tick

Gunfire. Explosions. Magic. War.

Tock

Pain. Fatigue. Exhaustion. Not enough to stop you.

Tick

Death. Injury. Gore. Common sights on the front.

Tock

Anger. Hatred. A vow for revenge. Rage is one hell of an anesthetic.

Tick

The entire world against you. Your sworn enemy tossing the best it has to try and kill you, break your resolve. It's never enough.

Tock

It will never be enough to stop you. Not even a "god" can break you. I'm impressed.

Tick

Your methods are harsh. You don't care for others feelings. But I can tell you've come to care for your country and comrades.

Tock

….

Tick

I think it's time for something new. 'Being X' has had his fun.

Tock—————-

-

-

The world is once again frozen around her. Birds freeze in the air, soldiers cease their motions. The world takes on a tint to it. The Forward Operating Base made of tents and defenses is put to a standstill. Tanya scowls, stopping her walk in the middle of the camp. She is quite honestly sick of it at this point. All the times Being X has tried to gloat to her, yet nothing has ever changed. She unslings her submachine gun, ready to try and kill him if the chance arises. Instead of the usual gloating from someone's nearby twisted face, or a voice from the sky, something new happens. A flash of light behind her, the sound of footsteps. Tanya whirls and trains her gun on the figure in an instant, a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair, wearing a fine black suit and tie.

Confused, she steadies her hand from pulling the trigger. This…. doesn't feel like Being X. Not the same mana signature. Whoever it is though, she's not taking her guard down. Is this some other self proclaimed god with an axe to grind against 'the atheist'? She eyes him down as he looks at her, not at all threatened by the gun aimed at him. A small smile creases his lips.

"Tanya Von Degurechaff." The man states, his voice tinged with a little age, soft spoken yet his voice carries well. "Nice to meet the famed 'Rusted Silver' in person."

She doesn't flinch, she doesn't even move. She's not buying whatever tricks this man has to sell. She's had enough of these powerful beings making her life hell. Her finger isn't taken off the trigger. He shrugs to himself, like he expected her not to respond.

"The name is…. well it doesn't really matter. I assume you don't care much either. Suffice to say I'm not 'Being X' as you call him, and I'm not interested in harming you, though I know you won't take me at my word. I don't blame you though. After all he's put you through, you're entitled to a bit of distrust." He walks to the side to a table that didn't exist earlier, sitting in a metal chair as if he was at an outdoor cafe, picking up a fresh cup of tea from somewhere. Her aim still hasn't wavered an inch from him. He looks at her a bit tiredly.

"Please, come sit, have some tea, and let's chat. I have a proposal for you. And please stop pointing that at me. You don't have any bullets for the moment anyway." He sits back and takes a sip. She tests the weight of the gun…. lighter than when fully loaded. She uses her left hand to check the chamber, still aimed at him with her right hand ready to fire. Empty. She frowns, letting the gun hang from its sling. Her pistol is the same. She still has her bayonet, though, but against a being who can just make her bullets disappear? She doesn't see much point in trying to fight. Reluctantly, Tanya walks over to the table and sits, glaring at the man.

"What kind of proposal would a so-called god want with me?" She says, fishing for a reaction. He chuckles.

"You'd be surprised. And to be honest I don't consider myself a god, more of… a Records Keeper of sorts. I believe it was Clarke's third law as you would know it, 'any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'. It could be incredibly advanced tech that gives me my powers, or it could be something else, it doesn't matter. I am who I am, and at the end of the day what I am is a very powerful being." He said, setting the cup down. She raised an eyebrow. At least this one wasn't so diluted in their own powers to proclaim themselves to be a god.

"Don't worry about any interference from 'Being X' for the moment, he isn't aware of this." He frowned. "That annoying stuffed up blowhard has had his fun, so I'd like to give you an offer, if you're interested." He said, folding his hands on the table. She waited for him to continue. "To give you some insight, I am a librarian of sorts for records of nearly infinite timelines and universes, every fictional existence out there I have records of, and I know everything that happens in them, but I have a problem." He paused, letting out a breath. "I've become extremely bored." He slouched where he sat, leaning on his hands.

Tanya blinked. No… She heard that right. Of all the things she expected to hear…. that wasn't one of them. "You're… Bored?" She asked, incredulously. He sighed and nodded.

"I can't age, I'm immortal, the rest of the beings like me I know are usually no fun to converse with, so I usually spend my time reviewing the records of the universes, but eventually you run out of things to read. What happens when you've read every book, learned every story?" He asked, before snapping his fingers. "The answer is, I simply need to create new ones that haven't been done before!"

Tanya nodded slowly. "And how does this involve me?" She asked, wary of the response.

He smiled. "Simple! The easiest way for me to make new universes and histories that didn't exist before is to pluck someone from one universe and drop them into another, and that's where you would come in. Now I understand you've probably had your fair share of fighting and wouldn't really want to deal with another universe with more of the same, so I'm prepared to sweeten the deal. If you are to accept, I'll make sure you will have the ability to match or surpass the fighting ability of even the best combatants of wherever you are sent, and I'll even throw in an upgrade to your gun and the removal of the type 95's curse. I'll even offer you a… gift right now if you're interested."

"A gift?" She eyed him with suspicion. He smiled. A strange white knife appeared on the table, one that seemed to fluctuate in its state of existence, oozing raw power. She tentatively picked up the knife which buzzed in her hands, not understanding its purpose. The man waved a hand to the side, a distortion in the air next to them, and an elderly looking man with white hair and a beard was held suspended by white chains. He looked around in confusion before spotting the two of them, eyes dawning in realization and anger.

"I offer your revenge." Said the librarian. Tanyas eyes went to the old man.

"What is the meaning of this!" The old man shouted. That voice. The presence. The mana signature…. Being X… Her blood boiled and her grip tightened around the knife. Grinding her teeth, she glared with immeasurable hatred at the source of her torment.

"You have no right to-"

"Shut up you miserable old fool." The librarian interrupted, scowling. "You chose to be cruel to your subjects just because they didn't pray to you, and the rest of them won't give a shit if you die." The librarian shouted back, silencing the man. Tanya looked to the knife in her hand, then to her enemy. A wicked smile broke across her face. She stood up, taking slow measured steps. The hateful gaze of Being X bore into her but she couldn't care less. There was no fanfare, there was no gloating. She was above all the shit Being X would do. But she wasn't above a bit of karma. So, with blinding quickness, she stabbed him in the dick, right where he had stolen her old gender. The so called god let out a surprised scream of pain, twitching in agony of having his jewels minced, tears of pain rising.

The librarian cringed behind her but didn't say a word as she stabbed him again a few times. Each spot brutalized was where she had been injured in the war, deep stabs for gunshots or shrapnel, shallow sweeps for grazings and cuts, then the finale. She drew the blade across his torso, carving an X into his chest, savoring the pained screams before stabbing him straight through the heart, where the dagger dissolved. Being X gasped one final time before crumbling to white dust as his life force was severed. Tanya let out a deep satisfied sigh as years and years of hatred and stress practically melted from her shoulders. She turned around with a smile and a skip in her step, sitting down and taking a sip of the tea she was offered, it tasted sweet, just like her revenge. The librarian raised an eyebrow at her.

"Feel better?" He asked. She nodded happily.

"Leagues better. You were speaking earlier of sending me to another universe?" She asked, trying to get back on track.

"Ahem, yes. As I was saying, I would give you the power to be more than just a worthy challenger to the strongest foes of whatever place you get sent to, and since I know you favor your guns I would give yours a few modifications to both to make them unbreakable, and remove the problem of ammo. A warrior needs a weapon fit for them after all. While the offer as it stands now is just to send you to one alternate world, if you wish, I can offer you a lengthier position with a few more benefits."

"An extended position?" Tanya asked.

"Yes, in this offer, after defeating the worst conflict in a world within a ten year span, you may move onto another universe to fight or stay in that one for as long as your life allows. I know you value peace so I wouldn't stand in your way of living out your life after a victory. Time doesn't mean much anyways. But, upon death or just if you feel ready and the time comes, you can go to the next one at any time. In addition to any skills or powers you might've picked up in previous worlds, some equipment you could also take to the next as well. Of course you don't have to decide on the extended offer yet, it will be available after you finish the first offer, so take your time to decide on that one."

Tanya mulled over the idea. He wasn't prohibiting her from living life in peace here and there, wasn't going to be twisting the odds against her, and was letting her fight on equal ground or better. All in all not bad terms, and the option to carry some equipment from one world to the next would be interesting. She would get to see new places, meet new people, get into interesting fights (which she had grown an unfortunate taste for). Not a bad offer, and it still more or less provided immortality in a way. The problem was the only experience she's had of alternate worlds so far wasn't the greatest…

Perhaps… She would test something first.

"I have a… request… if possible." Tanya began. He raised an eyebrow, but bid her to continue. "I'd rather not leave unfinished business… If it's safe to assume that Being X's interference is over, I'd like to finish the war I'm in right now. I might not care for it, but if time really doesn't matter, I don't want to just leave the Salamander Kampfgruppe to dry. They are my soldiers after all." Tanya finished. The librarian nodded in understanding.

"Sure, I can wait until the war is over, and I understand not leaving a project half finished. If you are fine with it, a few days after the war reaches a conclusion I'll show up again, and then you can give your unit a proper goodbye before you go, I'm sure at least Viktoria would want to be able to say goodbye." He said. Tanya's hair twitched a little at the mention of her subordinate, but she gave a small smile. He was probably right, Visha would probably forgive her if she just up and left without a word, but the idea left a bad taste in her mouth. Visha and the 203rd had been good loyal subordinates, and with time that had extended to the rest of her troops. It wouldn't be right to just abandon them after all the work she put into them. Nodding to herself, she took a last sip of the tea before standing up and walking back to where she stood before time froze.

"I'll see you after the war." She said, giving a small wave. The librarian nodded, then disappeared, and time resumed its normal pace. Tanya continued on walking to her original destination, parting the tent's flaps before stepping inside.

"Major!" A voice shouted, causing everyone present to salute. She waved them off, letting them go back to what they were doing. A woman with soft brown hair walked up holding a few reports for her.

"Visha, how are we doing today?" Tanya asked, placing her hat on the table as she took the reports, shuffling through them.

"Good, Major. Our supplies have been freshly stocked, and the men are in good spirits after catching those wild boars yesterday." That was a good reason for high spirits. Compared to all the tough tasteless food they fed the soldiers, actually catching and cooking some proper meat was a cause for celebration. Tanya let out a small chuckle as she walked to the map on the table, looking over the current positions of the army. "Is something wrong, Major?" Viktoria asked. Tanya looked at her, confused.

"No? Should I be concerned about something?" She asked. Viktoria made a face, putting her fingers together.

"Well, you usually don't look so… happy." She admitted. Tanya thought about it. It was probably true, she usually was scowling or frowning, expecting Being X to throw something more her way. Now however….

Tanya smiled. "I'm not quite sure, Vish, but something tells me things are going to be a lot different from here on out." She tapped a pencil to her chin as she thought back to how she plunged that knife into Being X, and her grin stretched a bit unnaturally, unsettling everybody else in the tent. She shrugged and went back to the map. The main threat was now gone, but there was still a war to fight, and she would be at the front of it all.

Time seemed to fly by in a blur after the death of Being X. People started acting more rationally, higher ups pulled their heads out of their ass... mostly, supplies started moving better. The difference was night and day almost. Being X hadn't been throwing a wrench into the works, he had thrown the entire toolbox. The battles were almost easier too. No more divinely supercharged people thrown at her, no more unusual fights, the Front was getting pushed forward. Even her curse was lifted from the type 95, all in all things were looking up, and most importantly….. They finally had coffee again, arguably the most significant gain of the entire war to Tanya, and one she frequently took advantage of. Steaming cup of Visha's masterwork coffee in hand, she usually spent the mornings of the war in progressively closer and closer fronts to the enemy's capitals.

Now without fear of reprisal from Being X, Tanya was more than happy to slip a few ideas to Research & Development. After fighting for so long for the empire and developing a sense of patriotism, she was inclined to give her country the best chance of keeping what it held. A few more modern ideas dropped here or there, a few papers of "predictions" in warfare, and giving the right people her thoughts of the future. Over a few months it was steadily working as newer projects were put into play. With her connections and "groundbreaking ideas", some scientists had actually come to her for advice and direction, direction she was more than happy to provide.

Dr. Schugel, for all his insanity, was still a brilliant scientist, and the few ideas she had slipped him produced fantastic results once other scientists and engineers were able to hammer his prototypes down to safer levels. His V1 rockets had been a base platform for many of her ideas, and after a year or so they had been developed into not only safer and more standard form of rapid mage deployment, but also into a promising new engine type for propelled bombs, early long range missiles for this age. They were still a long ways off from jet turbines (which she honestly didn't even remember how they worked), but they were starting to push for more electronics, something she was very happy about.

Electronics in this day and age of the empire were 'cutting edge' compared to the rest of the world, with radios being commonplace to civilians, other magically related advancements in science allowing earlier inventions and more broad uses, even bypasses where some things hadn't been invented yet. Cameras were often replaced by Camera Jewels, which were a modified and dumbed down version of computational jewels that allowed perfect clarity recordings of video and audio, and with the right spell it allowed you to print color pictures onto paper. Data sharing between jewels existed and was often used to send mission data to mages in the field, and hybrid magical/technological equipment like the flight gear mages had allowed the augmentation of spells and heightened effectiveness/efficiency for the mana used.

The more advanced they could get with electronics, the smaller they could make the gear, and the higher the efficiency, the more drastic of an effect magic could produce. It was perfectly aligned with Tanya's plan for the future of this world. She held no illusions that with advanced technology akin to her old world that mages would be of much use in the skies when anti air became advanced enough, so she planned for the empire to shift mages to a more 'special forces ' role. The average mage, with physical enhancement spells, barriers, and weapons could be more deadly than an entire platoon of troops. Her 203rd was the closest they had to special forces, and she intended to rectify that. Papers were written, speculation was made, and while she lacked the power currently to bring her wishes to be, she had planted the seeds that would lead to it in the future.

It took two more years of fighting, but peace was eventually achieved. Since the war first started with the Republic, it had taken them 3 and a half years to finally achieve peace. Eventually the Republic, Entente Alliance, Imperial Ostland, Dacia, and the Grand Duchy had all fallen to their might, and the Empire's ally Iloda petitioned to join the growing superpower. The Russy federation was a fierce opponent, but after several mistakes on their end and a political coup, they decided they had enough and sued for peace after significant losses and a few crippling blows, and the remnants of the rebellion south were finally put to an end by Tanya's command personally. The Great War was finally over, and Germania was the new superpower in control of most of the European mainland.

After all was said and done Tanya took a careful look over the state of post war affairs and was relieved to find a very low probability of the other countries attempting to restart any conflict. All the hate had been snuffed out on the most part, and many were tired of war by this point. Medals were handed out, she was promoted to Colonel for her actions, ceremonies were held, and all in all it looked like peace was here at last. Some of the other countries had even sent envoys and dignitaries, attempting to smooth out relations. She was even asked (re: told) to visit a few meetings, where she was forced to wear a dress (that she would later set aflame the instant she could get back into uniform), and spoke with a few diplomats, making connections she hoped would serve her well.

A few days after things started calming down and the big talks were over, Tanya and the Salamander Kampfgruppe were finally able to relax with some much needed leave at the capital, Berun. Tanya was with Viktoria at an outdoor cafe while the rest of her men took to the local bars to be merry and meet women. Drinking a cup of tea, and chatting with her second in command about simple things, Tanya wasn't very surprised when the world froze around her. What did surprise her was that Viktoria wasn't frozen like everyone else, instead looking around in confusion.

"Hmm, seems the librarian decided to include you into this." Tanya said, gaining her subordinates attention.

"The librarian? Commander, what is going on?" She said, looking at everything that was frozen in time.

"You'll find out soon enough, Viktoria. No need to worry." Tanya said, taking another sip of her tea as she felt the presence of the other being enter the area. Looking over the cup, she saw the salt and pepper haired man pull up a chair and sit down, shocking Viktoria. "Librarian," Tanya greeted.

"Tanya," He returned. "And Ms. Serebryakov, nice to meet you." He greeted, taking a cup of his own tea from… somewhere.

"Who are you?" She asked, unsettled. She would normally be hostile but since Tanya seemed to not be worried, she relaxed a little.

"As Tanya said, I'm a librarian of sorts, except my 'books' are the literal histories of the worlds and universes that exist." Viktoria's eyes widened.

"Are you… god?" She asked. Tanya snorted, and he shrugged.

"I wouldn't claim to be, I'm a records keeper, not a creator really." He told her. Tanya made a waving motion with her hand before speaking.

"Whatever he is, he gave me an offer a while back. Once the war was over, if I was interested he would send me to another universe's conflict and make things interesting there because apparently he's run out of entertainment." She summed up. Viktoria looked to her sharply.

"You're leaving?" She asked, stunned. Tanya opened her mouth to apologize when the librarian spoke up.

"Actually, about that…" The librarian interrupted. "I've figured out the first place to send you too, and happily enough, you won't have to actually leave your unit behind, I can bring this world to here instead."

Tanya looked at him with a bad feeling. "Bring the world here? Is this going to reignite the war?"

"Not really the war you mean, and I've taken a few precautions so that it doesn't start the Great War in this world again, but it will be a war... of sorts, but I can guarantee you won't have much trouble with this one."

"What do you mean…" To Tanya's irritation he just grinned.

"You'll have to find out… assuming of course that you accept my deal." He said, a contract appearing on the table in front of her. Thankfully only a few pages long, it was a quick read to confirm the terms, and a pen was sitting next to it to sign. Tapping the pen against her chin she read it over once more, trying and failing to find loopholes or exploits. Now affirmed of her choice, she signed the dotted line and dated it, returning the contract to him. He took it in one hand, looked it over and nodded in satisfaction.

"Splendid! You'll encounter the other world soon… But first, I'd suggest you start gathering your men." He smiled. Tanya got a bad feeling washing up her spine. With a snap of his fingers, the librarian disappeared, and time resumed its flow. Tanya was up in an instant, hand on the submachine gun she always kept with her, sending her computation jewel some mana to heighten her mind. Viktoria soon did much the same, the both of them looking around for a disturbance, startling the patrons around them. A few brushed it off as too much time on the front… until the screaming reached their ears. The two veterans booked it towards the sounds, rushing down the stone street and turning the corner to a truly crazy sight.

In the middle of an intersection, a massive roman style monolith stood, pillars framing a roof inlaid with magic crystals, and a gaping black maw of an entrance that was currently pouring forth hundreds of Roman style soldiers. Plate armor, swords, bows… even dragon riders!?!? Tanya took only a moment to look over the scene before pointing her gun straight up, launching a magical flare to alert nearby forces. Wasting no time, she analyzed the situation and planned her actions. With all the civilians panicking and running away nearby, she couldn't just mow the ranks down with spells, so she had to go for a more careful approach. Using the limited flight she could manage without her gear, she gained enough height to be above the crowd, Viktoria soon joining her as they started shooting at the incoming horde, covering civilians and giving priority targets a new hole in their heads.

Many were shot down, but there was an obvious problem... the ones that fell were but a drop in the tidal wave of encroaching enemies, and it didn't seem like they would stop anytime soon. They were getting forced back, this wasn't a fight they could win on their own. Holding a hand to her jewel, she initiated a communications spell to the heads of her unit, firing one handedly. "Attention! Berun is under attack by unknown enemy forces! Arm up and get over here now!"

"Under attack? Colonel, what is going on?!?" The voice of Weiss came through. Tanya changed mags, an irritated scowl on her face, they had the nerve to question one of her orders?

"Given the circumstances, I'm willing to let that slip Weiss, since you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but that was an ORDER! Get your gear, get your guns, and GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE!" She shouted, switching channels to the main net, which was slowly becoming filled with questions and chatter about the screaming and gunfire people were starting to notice.

Cutting through the chatter, she took on her command voice and began reporting. "Berun main! This is Salamander One, I'm engaging unknown hostiles in the middle of the city, under the flare! I need immediate support yesterday!" The net seemed to go silent at that proclamation. Meanwhile Tanya and Viktoria had been using their shields to block arrows, getting on the nearby rooftops to fire down on the mass, and being steadily pushed back street by street from the gate to cover the retreat of all the civilians they could see.

"Salamander One, this is Berun main, say again you are engaging hostiles?" The radio crackled.

"Affirmative! They're cutting down civvies left and right! Enemy force in the hundreds! They've brought their own air support too! You're not going to believe this but a fucking magical gateway opened up in the middle of the city! A bunch of soldiers with swords and bows are storming Berun!" She shouted. Switching mags again, she was forced to be a bit more precise with her shots as she only had two more clips left. The sounds of what seemed like shouting and arguing was heard over the net for a few seconds before the voice came back.

"Salamander One, this is Berun main we're getting confirmed reports of enemy forces, We're scrambling air support and the police are on their way with extra guns and ammo. Once the civilians are evacuated you are cleared to use low yield spells and weapons. All nearby military personnel are being mobilized to assist, ETA ten minutes." Letting out a sigh as help was confirmed, she was soon able to hear air raid sirens crank up around the city, warning citizens to head to the local bunkers and defensive points that had been hammered into the head of every citizen of the fatherland since the empire was built. Other sirens soon joined in as the police were heard, setting up blockades and handling the fleeing civilians.

After a few minutes of fighting and running low on ammo, Visha and Tanya were eventually pushed back by the tide to one of the defensive lines the police had set up with their cars, jumping off the rooftops to join the officers behind their vehicles, taking cover from arrows while they took shots at the wide mass of enemies. "White Silver! It's an honor to fight alongside you! We have spare ammo in the cars if you need it!" One of the police officers called.

Tanya nodded, nabbing some of the mentioned ammo from a nearby trunk. "Save the praise for later, we have Roman wannabes to kill!" She shouted. Now without the need to conserve her shots, Tanya helped lay waste to the approaching swordsmen, mowing down sections while the officers used their pistols and a few rifles to pick off targets. Once it was clear that the last of the civilians in the area were evacuated, Tanya was finally able to start using her spells.

Readying her rifle, she fed mana into her jewel and took a deep breath instead of being forced to pray. With Being X dead, and the curse removed, the type 95 had made her battles much easier given she no longer needed to limit herself to avoid praying. Laughing at the power she no longer had to restrain, she ran a wide variety of formulas through her computation jewel, Mechanomagic circles and gauges appearing in front of the barrel of her gun as she fine tuned an optical spell of moderate power so the buildings wouldn't collapse. Golden light soon shone from the type 95 as her eyes flashed gold, power surging through the rifle before she released a purple beam of death at the advancing enemies, burning a clean swathe through them and their armor as she swept the beam from left to right. Her signature unnaturally wide grin was in full effect as the enemy soldiers who survived faltered at her power, with some abandoning their weapons and running away.

Above them, the sound of engines soon filled the air, chatter from machine guns echoing as the empire's fighter planes began engaging the dragon riders. Taking the opportunity to assist, she shot another optical spell at a set of dragons chasing after a fighter, drawing the beam of death across their hides. The Wyverns screamed in pain and surprise, their scales only protecting them for a short while before the beam cut into their flesh, burning away at their hides. The riders were forced to fall to their death as the beasts twisted in pain before plummeting to their demise.

Returning focus to the mob in front of them, Tanya went back to mowing down sections of the enemy, dodging arrows and shielding the officers if she could.

"Jesus! These guys just keep coming!" One officer shouted.

"Just hold the line! The military will be here in a few minutes!" Tanya shouted back.

"GROOOAARRR!"

"What the hell is that!" Someone screamed. Some kind of one eyed giant turned the corner, hefting a club as big as a tree, shouting in challenge to the police. Tanya cursed, charging up an optical spell, but before she could fire, a series of small explosions sundered the creature. Chunks of flesh were sent flying and its head was evaporated in a bloom of gore. Looking to where the shots came from, she was relieved to see the rest of the 203rd had arrived to back her up. Releasing the previous optical spell upon the advancing horde to give breathing room, she turned as Weiss landed near the two of them, handing them their gear as the rest took up defensive positions. Quickly strapping into her flight gear, she started barking out orders.

"Weiss! You and half of your men stay here to defend the line. Koenig! You take your company and Weiss's other half and spread out to assist the other defensive lines. Neumann! Your men are on search and destroy! You have free reign to give them hell! Prioritize the big fuckers and keep them back! First company to me! We're going to kill some dragons!"

""Sir, yes sir!"" They all yelled. Tanya let a smile show on her face as she nodded in satisfaction.

"Outstanding, men! You know the music gentleman! It's time to dance! These barbarians have no idea who they fucked with! Let's show them the might of the fatherland!" A mighty roar arose from the troops as they split off to do their duties. First company took to the air with Tanya and Viktoria, while third and forth split off over the rooftops to assist the ground campaign. Tanya's grin stretched unnaturally as she joined the air battle, the familiar rush of combat flooding her veins. It was time to show these fantasy mooks who truly owned the skies.

With the arrival of the 203rd, the tide of battle was quickly turned. Enemy commanders met swift demises, dragons were swatted out of the sky, and wholesale slaughter occurred as the mages swept across the city. Their high mobility meant that if a defensive line was threatened, they would be on it in an instant, and their spells were able to easily deal major damage to groups of enemies.

By the time the rest of the military got there, they were able to push back the enemy and start chasing their tails to the gate they came from. What started as hundreds of enemies had turned into thousands, and it still wasn't enough in the face of the Empire's might. Further and further, they had pushed them back until it turned into a rout. Enemy soldiers were soon trampling over each other to escape as the armored divisions caught up, and took over. Panzer IVs from both her Salamander Kampfgruppe and the local guard showed up to the fight, mowing down enemies left and right as CAN rounds mulched any targets they found.

Finally after hours of fighting, they pushed the enemy back to where they came from, leaving them fleeing with their tails in between their legs. A defensive perimeter was set up around the gate, prisoners captured, and once it was clear the threat was over for now, the much dreaded politics began.

Fortunately for the empire, Wartime had made their politicians more decisive, more focused. Instead of taking weeks to come to a decision on what to do, a decision was made in days. Plans were drafted up, military strategists and defense coordinators working hand in hand to prepare a response.

On the public side, Tanya received more awards and a promotion from Colonel to Brigadier General, while her Salamander Kampfgruppe received healthy praise for their role in the defense of the city, a few more medals and some nice updated weapons and equipment. The men were also more than enthused to accept free drinks for their role as well in their off time. Tanya herself, although knowing this was what she signed up for with the librarian, was a bit unhappy with her new placement. She was a Brigadier General now, still in charge of the Salamander Kampfgruppe, but she also bore the responsibility of the first expedition through the gate as well, which led to her current position.

On the repaired streets in front of the gate, her forces were displayed on the road leading into it. Her company of ten Panzer IVs started the line, followed by a fleet of SPWs with an even mix of mounted machine guns and anti air which carried the 203rd and her infantry/paratroopers. Capping the rear of the convoy were the supply trucks and her artillery battalion, equipped with some hastily requisitioned and very useful multi-role 88 Flak guns to replace the older 15 cm cannons. Her Salamander Kampfgruppe was going to be the sword which cleaved through to the other side of the gate, defeating whatever forces may lie if there are any, and then they would secure the area for more permanent occupation.

Tanya was no stranger to paperwork, and was usually more than glad to be pushing pencils instead of in the front, but she did not want the responsibility of administering all the forces that would be coming through that gate, or manning the forward operating base once it was set up. No, that 'glory' was thankfully pushed to good old reliable Reugen. Tanya was a soldier, not an admin. She was more than glad to be in control of her current forces which she knew she could trust, ones she knew were competent enough to do their duties correctly. She liked being mobile, liked being in control of picking her targets and taking care of them swiftly. More than that, she would be lying if she said she didn't want to explore. She wanted to see what this other world was like, wanted to see what it could bring, not be chained to a desk reading reports about it.

That…. and she actually did want to shed some of the enemy's blood. Despite the fact that Tanya had killed hundreds of soldiers, and the thousands more she had ended with her orders, she didn't approve of killing. Well…. more correctly, she disliked killing, seeing it as nothing but wasted potential, but in her eyes some types of people did deserve death. Rapists, serial killers, pedophiles, and a list of other rotten trash she would gladly rid the world of in a heartbeat. And wouldn't you know it, one thing she had noticed the enemy soldiers doing put them onto that list. Capturing civilians in metal shackles and attempting to herd them back to the gate, she knew instantly what they were, taking care to target them first. Slavers. The thought made her blood boil. Calming her nerves, she honed that anger to a fine tempered blade, very useful on the field to use as a tool. Anger allowed her to ignore more pain, allowed her to put in an extra 120% to her efforts on the field. Sheathing the blade of fury for later use, she returned her attention to the world around her.

Surrounding the gate were defensive measures and mounted guns aplenty, and a lot of nearby buildings had been knocked down and cleared away to make room for future defensive emplacements. Great walls and towers were planned, both to control access to the gate and to defend against any further incursion from beyond it. As for now though, crowds of civilians had gathered on the sides of the streets, reporters with both film and Camera Jewels, and more often than not the families of those that were going off to fight again. Banners between the buildings proclaimed the event, and great cheering from those who wished death on the transgressors filled the air. A raised platform with a podium was set up on one side of the road, in between the gate and the middle of her forces. Upon it, Rudersdorf, Zettour, Tanya, and a group of other officers and military staff stood under the sun.

Thankfully, with a little manipulation, acting, and using her looks to her advantage, Tanya did not have to give a speech. That was passed onto Rudersdorf and the other general staff, she just had to stand there and look pretty in full kit, give the order to advance after the speech, then join her army for the invasion. Returning her attention to the speech Rudersdorf was giving, she managed to catch the very end of it.

"-hese barbarians that attacked the fatherland, that slaughtered and butchered innocent people, will pay dearly for the lives they have taken! The empire will get retribution, and we will bring back our taken citizens! They dared to attack us with mere swords and bows? They will rue the day they decided to attack the Empire! Glory to the fatherland!" Rudersdorf proclaimed, giving a warrior's salute, a fist over the heart.

""Glory to the Fatherland!"" The crowd roared. It was now Tanya's turn. Channeling mana, she rose into the air above her troops, preparing a spell to amplify her voice.

"Troops, Ready!" She yelled, and everything kicked into motion. Engines were started up, rifles were loaded, and ammo was checked. The street was soon filled with noise as the convoy came alive. Waiting a minute to ensure they were ready, she nodded.

"Advance!" The sound of diesel and gas engines raised in pitch as the tanks were the first to move. Tracks segments clacking, the Panzers started forth, newly added spotlights flicking on to illuminate their path. Shortly following behind them were the half tracked SPWs, gun mounts pointing ahead, ready to suppress whatever they encountered. In the rear, the various trucks carrying troops and artillery followed at a bit more distance due to their unarmored nature. Landing on the hood of the lead SPW, Tanya held her rifle at the ready as the Salamander Kampfgruppe breached the gate to venture into the unknown. Pictures were taken, and the moment would forever be immortalized in the history of the empire.

As the convoy sundered across the endless black expanse of the gateway, Tanya began to feel strange, like her magic and body was being messed with. It wasn't until she noticed her gun felt different that she realized what was happening. As per the deal, the librarian must have been changing her to make her a match for the toughest combatants in the next world. It felt… no, she had no words to describe this feeling other than strange, but she could tell she was getting stronger in both magic and body, and the strength she felt was starting to worry her. If something was this powerful beyond there, it would be a problem for her men to deal with should they encounter it. She would need to be careful with her troops out there.

"Uh, Commander?" A voice called from behind her. Tanya looked back into the SPW she was riding atop to see Visha looking at her in concern. Raising an eyebrow, she made a motion for her to speak up. "Are you feeling alright? Your mana is fluctuating." Tanya made a noise of understanding. Constantly adjusting to suppress her mana signature as it changed must've been noticeable.

Shaking her head, Tanya dismissed her concerns. "It's nothing to worry about. Remember what I explained to you after the gate appeared? It's just part of that deal." Placated with that answer, Visha sat back in her chair. The rest of the troops in the vehicle were confused by the response, but shrugged it off since they didn't need to know. Tanya had quietly explained to Visha about her past the night after the invasion.

-- FLASHBACK

Once order was restored and the fires had been put out, the troops of the Salamander Kampfgruppe were finally relieved from duty by a rotation from the national guard. Tanya and Serebryakov were left to make their way back to their quarters as the rest of her troops split to go to their respective barracks for the night. Flying through the air above the city without being shot at or shooting in turn was rather relaxing for once, something Tanya was more than happy for after the day's hectic events and stress. She was all but content to fly in silence back to home, but it seems fate had other plans.

"Umm… commander? Can you please explain what that was all about at the cafe?" Visha asked. Tanya let out a sigh, muttering under her breath about 'not getting a moment of peace'. Turning mid air to face her loyal second in command, she huffed, relenting to the fact it was about time she gave up some secrets. Visha was also one of only a handful she would ever consider trusting to this extent.

"I suppose after how long we've known each other it wouldn't be right to keep you in the dark about it." Tanya said, slowing them to a stop in the middle of the air above Berun. Ever paranoid, she placed a small sound dampening field around them both for privacy. "To start off with, it's probably obvious, but there is a reason why I'm so experienced, so smart for my age. Truth is, this isn't my first life."

Visha's eyes widened, but didn't seem too surprised about it. After all they've been through, Tanya supposed that was only to be expected. Fucking Mary Sioux. Tanya thought. Shaking her head from the past, she then explained of her past life, (not mentioning her old gender, she was going to take that one to the grave.) She explained how she was from a different world, one that had already been through two world wars, and what led her to this world.

Viktoria was silent as she spoke of Being X, how he twisted her life, turned things against them, cursed the type 95, and put things in motion to cause war against the empire. Then she spoke of her meeting with The Librarian, killing Being X, the deal she had spoken with him about, everything that led to the current day. After what felt like an hour or two of talking, Tanya was finished with her tale, looking to Viktoria for a reaction.

She seemed deep in thought, her trademark poker face giving not even the slightest tells as to her thoughts. After the silence stretched on to the point even Tanya started to feel uncomfortable, Visha seemed to nod at something. Turning to directly face her superior, her face was filled with determination.

"Commander, I want to go with you!" She said. Tanya blinked. Did she hear that right? No… she did, but why would Serebryakov want this?

"Visha… are you sure you understand what you're in for? If I take the extended offer…. that may well mean 'forever'. We would be constantly thrown into battles, fights probably incredible in scale, battles that may well strain our minds and bodies to their limits. Is that the kind of life you want to lead?" Tanya asked. Visha didn't seem shaken in the least.

"Commander, I'll follow you wherever you need me!" She said, steel in her tone. Tanya was honestly a little taken aback, she didn't expect Visha to be so loyal.

"Hmm…" Tanya held her chin in contemplation. "Well, if I can't convince you otherwise, I will ask The Librarian about including you into the deal once we finish this upcoming war." Tanya relented. Visha seemed happy with that. "Now let's get some sleep. Something tells me we're going to need it." The sound dampening field was lowered, and the duo flew to their respective quarters for some much needed rest.

--

Shaking her head from her memory, she focused once again on the endless black around them. After what felt like an hour, there was soon a light at the end of the tunnel. An announcement was made, radios were checked, safeties were released, and rifles racked as they prepared for a potential fight. It was late afternoon as they emerged on the other side of the gate. Waning daylight casting over wide green fields, fresh air and pure wilderness all around….. and an army of medieval soldiers that were camped out in the fields beyond them. The convoy poured out of the gate onto the plains they found themselves on, spreading out to defensive positions. Infantry dismounted from their vehicles and rushed around to set up defenses while the tanks and SPWs pushed further out.

The radio crackled as Tanya keyed in, taking in the sights with a pair of binoculars. "Well well well! It looks like in keeping with the Dacians, this foreign kingdom has seen fit to give us some nice target practice for my 14th birthday! We have a large enemy foot mobile force in the plains ahead of us, numbering close to two hundred thousand. Ahrens! Set up a picket line with your Panzers around the hill. Thon! I want defensive positions set up and ready in between the tanks. Meybert, once you can set up those '88s work with Lt. Wüstemann and his men for spotters. If any of you is stupid enough to get shot by an arrow, mark my words you will be paying for the drinks when we get back." She chuckled. "Weiss, Neumann, Koenig, you know the drill. Lead with some Artillery spells and then keep them disorganized, other than that you have operational freedom, prioritize anyone that looks like a commander but if you can capture someone important, all the better. Move out!"

""Sir, yes sir!"" They responded, and Tanya grinned as the 203rd took to the air from the SPWs, quickly getting into formation behind their leaders as they gained altitude over the battlefield. The four units split up in different sections while Tanya, Visha, and unit 1 flew straight towards the center of their forces. Running a few amplification formulas through her type 95, she hovered above their main forces, well out of reach of their primitive bows.

"To all unknown combatants, you have invaded the Fatherland. This is not a negotiation, this is not a peace talk, this isn't even a hostage situation. This is a courtesy call. Surrender now or be wiped from existence!" She yelled, voice booming across the lands. A ballista bolt was fired in her direction, and she easily shot it out of the air, a bright blue explosion lighting up the sky. Good, they fired the first shot. "No? Well that's fine by me! OPEN FIRE!!!" Brightly colored magic explosions sundered the mass of enemies as the 203rd let loose, while further back, Ahrens commanded the Panzers IV's to begin contributing their fury. Men under Thon's command shouted as machine guns, sandbags and mortars were set up while the Artillery squads under Meybert set up their 88 Flak cannons to provide support.

The reserve mage company with Lt. Wüstemann took to the air above the gate, the glint from their binoculars visible as they relayed targeting and accuracy to Maybert's artillery teams. Soon the thunder of 88mm shells filled the air as rounds were pumped out at the enemies. By now most of the primitive army was thrown into chaos, commanders were slain before orders could be given and vast scores of men were vaporized where they stood by magical and conventional explosives. Somewhere along the lines the front troops had begun to charge, and following the mob mentality the rest followed suit, but all that awaited them was death as the machine gun nests opened up. Bright tracers arced through the late afternoon sky before slamming into the enemy lines, punching through shields and armor with ease as the advancing force was shredded.

Tanya flew high above it all, the rest of her unit aside from Viktoria having split off to find targets earlier. Tanya was rather relaxed as she picked and chose targets with impunity. "Air superiority is a wonderful thing." She sighed happily, grinning at the mayhem far beneath them. No worries about enemy weapons fire, no enemy mages, it was almost serene to fly above a battlefield when she didn't have to worry about her life under danger. "If the rest of the campaign is going to be like this I'll be surprised if they don't sue for peace within the next few months."

"Commander, there is a group of ogres approaching the left line!" Visha said, using a pair of binoculars to watch their advance. Tanya looked in that direction and squinted, enhancing her vision with magic. True enough, a group of ten ogres were advancing on the left side, so far unharmed. Tanya grinned. Normally she disliked using excessive force, but these primitive slaving barbarians held little value to her, and perhaps a show was in order to drive the point home of who exactly they had made enemies of. The Germanian Empire was not to be trifled with.

Raising a hand to her throat she engaged the radio in her orb. "All troops prepare for impact, explosive spell outbound in fifteen seconds." Tanya let go and took aim, letting magic flow through her 95 as her eyes turned gold. Green screens of information appeared around her gun as hundreds of formulas and streams of data flowed throughout her mind, the type 95 enhancing her mental ability to superhuman levels to process the data needed for a Mechanomagic spell of this caliber. Many below looked to see a bright light in the sky as excess mana bled from her form, as if a new star had been born. Some enemy soldiers fell to their knees and prayed, believing a god had shown up to save them….Oh but how wrong they were. In seconds, the targeting solution was locked, magical pressure within acceptable parameters, and her finger on the trigger. She let out a breath…. and fired.

A terrible bass roar filled the air as the round was ignited, a rainbow of color wafting from the sides of the barrel as the round flew from its sheath. Incredibly bright, it flew true and powerful to its destination, infused with the most amount of mana it could possibly handle and then reinforced only to release at the right time. It flew straight into the center of the approaching group of ogres. There was silence for a second, then a flash, then the explosion. A blackened cloud of smoke erupted from the scene, the shockwave visible as it lifted men close to it off their feet, tossing them around like rag dolls. The sound reached them a few seconds later, causing most to shield themselves not only from the shockwave but also from the terrible crescendo of the explosion. Once it had passed, all that was left of the division on that side was ash and fire.

Tanya watched with a grin as errant arcs of lightning from static electricity moved through the smoke. The entire battlefield had gone silent in awe of the sheer power unleashed. It didn't last, however, as her trained soldiers got back to their senses, opening fire on the now terrified enemy troops. What was once a loosely cohesive army was now a terrified group half their original numbers hell bent on running away from the obviously lost fight. It turned into a rout as they ran away as fast as they could, often trampling over their own fellows to get ahead. Tanya frowned. A number of troops that large getting away would be problematic, but the accords were clear in their wording.

"This is Salamander one, the enemy is in retreat. Cease fire. Repeat, cease fire. Weiss, Neumann, I want your groups to follow them from above. Tell me where they go and what they do. The rest of you, good work, let's secure the area and send back the good news!"

Somewhere, on a dirt road…

Black and red swished to and fro, long black hair brushing against gothic clothing as what looked like a young girl walked along the dirt path. A sight like this on any normal day would have been odd enough, but the giant black Halberd the girl held with ease only added to the scene. Suddenly she stopped, dark crimson eyes turning to look off in some direction. A few seconds later a small tremor was felt in the ground.

Rory Mercury, the Apostle of Emroy licked her lips with a grin. A power beyond what had been seen in all but apostles had arrived. Rory giggled. She hadn't found a good fight in ages.

A/N: So... this is one of many stories I've started but up until now never published, mostly because I find myself lacking motivation and direction to take the others in past 2 or 3 chapters. This one I have hopes to finish, but life is never certain so don't expect updates with any reliable frequency. I have a chapter 2 in the works but I want to start a third chapter before I release it.

For those of you that want an update on my other two fics

-Fire and steel, I might abandon it. I started writing it before shadowkeep and the destiny plot just keeps growing and evolving and I've lost interest over time.

-The titanfall one needs a deep rewrite, started it with barely any clue on where I was going to go with it aside from a premise, and then a lot of things hit in life and I lost drive for that story.

I have higher hopes for this one though, and while updates might not be frequent I'll try to make this an active story until it's done.

Anyways, read, comment, and review please.