A Saga of Tanya the Evil/The Irregular at Magic High School crossover.
I do not in any way, shape, or form lay claim to either of these works.
This is just a work of admiration from one fan, to those others that share the same interest.
The only characters or places I lay claim to are those solely of my own creation
Chapter 42, Time flies: Run and Gun.
Tuesday, August 10th 2094. 2:00 AM
Point Two.
Visha and Tanya shared a look as they heard the sounds of boots headed in their direction, and the data on their HUDs supported that fact. They had less than a minute until they would make contact. It was clear that the element of surprise had been lost.
Time to be a bit more proactive.
As they exchanged a look, the two veterans reached for a pair of cylindrical grenades and at a silent signal, armed them and rolled them down the corridor, with Tanya's two seconds before Visha's.
A shout of "Grenade!" rings out, then the first flash bang goes off. A moment later, the second one goes off, and there are more cries of distress as the pair roll around a second after the second grenade went off.
Tanya was the first around the corner, her submachine gun already raised and aimed towards the first target. Good intel was always a bonus in any combat situation, and having truly accurate positional data on your opponents could mean the difference between life and death. And Tanya had always taken the steps necessary to ensure that she was on the winning side of that equation, except for those times that she hadn't been able to see to that. A distressing number that she did not really have any desire to think about, if she wanted to be honest with herself.
As the laser sight slid across the chest of the first target, a neat grouping of holes appeared as her suppressed gun fired in short, controlled bursts. As she swung onto the next target, the first of the targets on Visha's side of the corridor jerked and fell as she engaged her targets.
The pair engaged the stunned and disoriented soldiers with ruthless, cold efficiency. When the last of them fell as he tried to dive for cover, Tanya looked over the fallen with a cold, disinterested look as she commented. "Like fish in a barrel. Just like our tourist's from Dacia."
Visha looked at Tanya and didn't comment as she smoothly exchanged clips, and placed the mostly spent clip into a pouch while she checked the other end of the corridor.
The pair exchanged a silent look before they started to move in the direction that the last group of soldiers had come from. They hadn't had a chance to scan the last set of soldiers, and their HUDs didn't update with new details. A fact that Tanya noted in one quiet corner of her mind.
Distraction, deceit and targeted destruction. The 3 D's of maneuver warfare. They were now on a clock, and the more that they could keep the enemy off their balance, keep them being reactive the better odds the pair of them had. Luckily, it was something that the 203rd and the Kamperfuge that came after it excelled at.
And the two best agents of organized mayhem and chaos were once again fighting a numerically superior force on their own territory.
It was almost enough to make Tanya feel nostalgic, at least if she hadn't still been more than a bit on edge over what had happened to Visha.
So, if when they rolled around the corner and came upon three more soldiers who were more than a little shocked to see the pair of them, it was excusable that Tanya flashed into the midst of them and engaged them in the close-quarters combat that she had made her specialty during her many bloody engagements with enemy mages. It was entirely understandable that she might be a bit more vicious and efficient than she would normally be.
Tanya looked up from the third target as she pulled her combat knife from his sternum, and met Visha's gaze for a moment before they both looked away. Tanya was fairly certain that they would be spending the night in each other's arms, so that they could sleep after this. It had become a fairly regular incident for them, yet neither of them had really pushed the physical side of their relationship any past the kissing and holding each other that had become more regular.
All in all, it had been a change that Tanya and Visha had found to be more than slightly acceptable.
As the pair checked on where they were, they noticed that they had almost finished passing through the offices that sat between the two large bays of the actual storage section of the warehouse. The right hand bay showed a large number of individuals. More than likely, it served as a barracks of some sort for the guards and the support staff. The left hand one showed far less occupancy in the large expanse.
The pair exchanged a look, and started to head towards the left hand hall.
Xian Lao looked over at her stoic partner Shan and sighed. They were both Wu, and the same age. But that was pretty much where the similarities ended. She channeled the spirits of wind and sky, where he was the very embodiment of a mountain. She dressed in light, flowing clothing where he wore a full suit of ceramic armor and ballistic cloth. She was the image of speed and agility, where her partner had once taken an anti-tank round head on. They were a study in opposites, and that was why they had been assigned to work under that old creep Dao Zao.
Xian Lao stopped in place as Shan held up his hand, his head cocked to one side. After a moment he held up two fingers and motioned at the corner. Xian Lao had learned to listen to her silent partner's warnings, the very earth spoke to him, and warned him of those that were nearby. It was entirely possible that the uninvited guests that a guard had mentioned were nearby. That was, after all, why they were heading to the corridor that led to Bay One. The combat suits and weapons that were stored there and had been snuck into Germany would prove quite embarrassing for the agencies back home if they were discovered, or worse yet, lost.
The pair exchanged a quick look as she summoned up her spirits and wrapped herself in their mantle. She glanced to the side as Shan summoned up his power as well, and the sense of heavy, ponderous might filled the air.
The pair were as ready as they could be.
When the pair of grenades bounced around the corner, Shan reacted. His foot struck the ground as a dome of concrete from the floor engulfed them, and a pair of muffled bangs resonated in the air. A moment later, Xian and Shan were able to see their opponents in person as the pair of young women dressed in black tactical gear came around the corner. The two pairs took a moment to size the others up, then Xian Lao was gone in a flash as she headed towards the one that seemed to be taking a moment longer to react, and who's choice of a rifle made her the better opponent.
Shan would be able to easily handle someone who seemed to be equipped for close quarters combat, as well. Or that was what Xian Lao had thought before the shorter of the two seemed to appear in front of her and blocked her strikes with the knife in one hand, and the receiver of her submachine gun in the other.
Xian Lao snarled at the shorter intruder as she jumped back, the paired knife in her own hands gripped tightly as she tried to look for a way past.
Tanya shook her head as she gave Liao that sardonic smirk of hers. "I'm sorry, but the only one allowed to hit on her, is me."
Visha blushed red as she never took her eyes off of Shan, and Tanya coughed.
Xian Lao narrowed her eyes as she shifted her stance slightly. "You seem to think you are fast enough to handle me? Do you then think your companion can best Shan?"
Tanya smiled as she regarded Xian Lao and chose to answer part of her question, and ignore the rest. "I have every confidence that she will win any and all fair fights."
Xian Lao regarded her opponent carefully for a moment, then started to circle Tanya as Visha watched Shan's ponderous and implacable advance, and smiled with the confidence that she felt after Tanya's words.
There was no way that Visha couldn't handle this on her own now. She took careful aim, and snapped off a couple of shots to test her opponent's defenses. The rounds struck with no discernible effect as Shan just continued his methodical advance. He didn't flinch or sway in the least. Visha narrowed her eyes as she watched him, and noted the extent of his armor. He was a walking tank. She grinned slightly as she swapped clips. She had dealt with tanks in the great war before.
Tanya continued to circle her opponent, as each looked to find an opening in the other's defenses. She feinted low and snapped off a short burst at her opponent, and noted as the rounds failed to impact, deflected and shredded just before impact. Her blue eyes narrowed as she observed Xian Lao's reaction and shifted her stance slightly. "Impressive defenses there. No bullet can reach you. hrm? And you seem fairly fast."
Xian Lao smiled as she shifted the grip on her knives and lowered her center of gravity lower as she prepared to engage Tanya once more. "Does that mean you are ready to surrender?"
Tanya shook her head and smirked. "Actually, I would say that you should be the one considering surrender. Your defenses are impressive, but they have their downsides. You are immune to guns, but at the same time your shield stops projectiles in both directions, not just the ones coming towards you. A perfect barrier doesn't have any openings, after all. And you are fast, yes. But are you fast enough?"
Xian Lao looked at Tanya with a grim expression before she seemed to blur, and streak towards Tanya in a rush. The look of incredulity on her face when Tanya once again parried both of her strikes was almost humorous before she once again opened up space between them. Xian Lao narrowed her eyes, and reinforced the spells that sheathed her in power. She would be even faster.
Visha continued to try and keep distance between her and the walking mountain as she looked him over. He wasn't moving quickly, but none of the rounds she had hit him with seemed to have any effect on him. She had even used some of her mage shot bullets, but unlike a barrier, his armor seemed to just shrug off even the enchanted rounds. No armor was perfect, though. Even if he was reinforcing the armor, there had to be a limit. Maybe not on the entire piece… But what about one small section of it? Visha narrowed her eyes as she focused, and fired three rounds, one into each lower leg just below the knee, where she could see ballistic cloth flexing. As expected, there didn't seem to be any noticeable effect, until her third round struck the same spot on his trailing left leg. She saw him pause for just a moment, and a smile formed on her face.
She would prove that Tanya's confidence in her was not misplaced. She swapped clips once again. She only had one clip of these rounds, so she would make sure that she made the most of them. They were a gift from Tanya, after all. Most people would give their girlfriends roses or jewelry, maybe candy or clothes. Tanya was by far the more practical person, though. She knew enough to give Visha something she could truly use, even if they had to be redone fairly often.
Nothing like armor piercing rounds that had their penetrators wrapped in an entropic field to bring them as close to a state of perfect suspension as Tanya could manage on the long-term without having to resort to the Type 95. She had ten rounds, and she intended to make the most of them.
Tanya smirked that evil little smirk of hers as she barely blocked Xian Lao's strikes. "Oh, I guess someone decided to get serious. Good, I was afraid I would have to send out for takeout if you stayed that slow." She cleared some distance as she spoke words that sounded more like a curse than a prayer. "Oh Lord, grant me, this humble being, a single second of your time. Grace me with your celerity, so that I may show the unenlightened your majesty."
Xian Lao barely had time to react as Tanya seemed to vanish, and appeared in front of her with a manic grin on her face, and eyes of blazing gold.