The valley was eerily beautiful. Layers of thick snow blanketed the area around the convoy as it descended onto the least bumpy part of the mountain road. They drove between pine trees whose branches glowed white with the layers of crystalline snow on top of them. Through the treeline, they could see wild animals wandering about, too, ranging from wild rabbits(Which would explain where Tuka got the meat for the stew) to foxes.
There were other inhabitants in the area, too. Torres had noticed them while they were driving by:Short, stout figures patrolling through the forest, keeping tabs on them. He'd even caught a glimpse of one on his thermal sight. The Dwarves, Dawi, or however in Tolkien's good graces one referred to them, were watching.
The Rose Knights rode their mounts beside the vehicles again, more-so to show the Dwarven Kingdom that the Newcomers knew not to come without guidance. The Princess led from the front of the formation, while Bozes exchanged small-talk with Itami about Sergeant Tomita's status. Most of the team had listened in to only hear good news about the man recovering… Despite the 14,5mm round he took.
To an old Russian tune, the team descended deeper into the valleys, moving past the riverbed as the surface began to freeze. A slight chill filled the air, too, with the gunners and soldiers scanning the trees for any movement or potential ambushes from Imperial or Innie troops that fled in this general direction.
The group remained quiet, growing ever more tense the deeper they advanced, until the Russian infantryman on the gun of the BTR-D ahead of them let out a swear and raised his hand, yelling back, "Road's out! Fucking shit!" and he climbed out. The entire force dismounted quickly and set up a perimeter around the vehicles as their officers went forward to check.
An explosion had dug a crater five feet deep into the road and water from the river rushed in to fill the hole. Only a small sliver of ground, only big enough for a column of infantry to walk on, remained to the right. Everything else past that was either the trees, or the Crater. Itami knelt beside the crater, then said, "... An IED that detonated too soon? We could try and bring a bridgelayer, but it might take'em hours…"
"No," Torres said, "That's a tactical move. Block off the road for ground vehicles, leave the infantry open for ambushes. And if we bring a Bridgelayer, we risk being bogged down here if and when they come to check this little hole in the ground…" before sighing.
"And we're gonna have to walk right into the next ambush," Richard mumbled as he shouldered his rifle and scanned their surroundings. He looked to his fellow Lieutenants for advice, but then realized they could do something simple… "We should send the drivers and a few escorting troops back with the vehicles. Rolling up to the doors of the Dwarves with an entire company's worth of infantry probably won't look too good to their leaders anyway. Some of our boys and girls defend the OP, the rest of us move forward."
"I'll take a few of my men back to the top alongside some Americans," The Russian Major voiced as she cradled her AK-12 in her arms. The Ami officer nodded, shifting his own M4A1 forward and rallying his troops to board their vehicles. She then said to the others, "Radio us when you need pickup… Or if you need reinforcements."
"We will," The three Lieutenants voiced.
Kurata spoke, "This is gonna be interesting. Haven't done a ruck march in forever."
Shino snorted and said, "Your spindly ass is gonna fall behind with all the shit we have to carry, K," then she looked at Nanami and her boss and told them, "You two should probably go back with the vics, too."
Kaylee shook her head, "Hell no. I already interviewed the Princess and queen Tyuule. I ain't gonna leave without interviewing the Dwarf king," and she flashed a grin. Nanami, meanwhile, was shaking due to the cold. Shino sighed, shrugged and mumbled something. They unpacked their cold weather gear from their vehicles and, with the Lieutenants in the middle of the Formation, they began the hike.
Taylor said, "Hey, El-Tee. Why does your girlfriend get to ride her horse while we're hiking."
A healthy blush played across Piña's face, one that would normally be excused thanks to the biting cold instead of being a reaction to the remark. However, the indescribable noise of embarrassment she let out, combined with the laughter of Beefeater, Bozes and the rest of the Rose Order, made the situation untenable.
Torres sighed deeply, then said, "Because she's Royalty and your sorry ass is hauling an M240. Your fat ass would already break a horse's back, but add that gun and the ammo and it'd be torturing the poor animal," and that retort got much of the rest of the unit, the Russians included, to laugh. Though it was still a tense laugh, due to the fear of ambushes.
Rosie quipped, "She got his ass."
"Better luck next time, fellow machine gunner," Ivanov joked, holding his own gun by the strap over his shoulder. They strode down the road, weapons at the ready and heads on a swivel, expecting any and every angle to be an ambush site for the enemy to take advantage of. They found nothing but trees and snow.
As the first flakes of the day's snow began to fall around them, tracing weird arcs across the sky, Tyuule spoke longingly, "Oh, what one would do for a cup of hot chocolate…" which got a few affirmative hums and replies in various languages. Her ears were perked up as she listened for movement around them, hearing everything from the birds to the other wild animals going around.
Meanwhile, Richard kept an eye on their Motion Tracker. The entire staggered column of dozens of Infantrymen had been tagged as friendly, while anything moving beyond the tree line, grey and unknown. They continued their travels, quiet and calm as they marched forward, moving past an old, destroyed cottage and even further in.
The Valley narrowed slightly, with the movement in the corner of their eyes and on their motion trackers growing more and more erratic. Things approached in the darkness that made the soldiers tense even further, with Shino shielding Nanami and Kaylee. Kurata, Rosie and Ikari joined him, weapons at the ready.
There was a defilade position to their right, an irrigation ditch of some kind. It slowly filled with the snowfall, but still provided enough room for the prone squad to take cover beside. Tyuule, Rieta, Sarah and Delilah, though all four of them were on alert, spoke to each-other about some matters pertaining to weddings.
Sarah herself sighed deeply, rubbing her temples, then said, "Why'd I have to wade into this mess after you, Rieta?"
"Because you love me as your sister and I kinda needed the emotional aid?" Joked the woman carrying the Whiskey Bravo team's SAW, a belt-fed UNSC Machine Gun much like Ivanov's. Delilah and Tyuule chuckled, while the sister continued, "And obviously, we get to actually see stuff going on, like actual politicking."
"Yeah, yeah," Sarah sighed, "I think I should've either stayed in the Capital, or in Italica."
"Because of your boyfriend~?" Rieta grinned, causing the woman to blush heavily. Rieta continued teasing, "Oh, come oooon~! I didn't know you like tankers! Though I guess I can see how it's probably very snug in a Main Battle Tank~!" and further laughs erupted from the team, the tension ever-so-slightly alleviated.
However, Tyuule paused, eyes widening as she heard a single branch snap. She and Richard both tensed, the man's Motion Tracker having seemingly picked up two groups of contacts ahead and to their left. The UNSC Lieutenant was about to cry out for the entire team to take cover just as his lover heard the snap of a bowstring being released and an arrow flying through the air.
A second sound, the whoosh of an RPG rocket being fired, followed up the start of the L-shaped ambush. Before the rocket struck, the arrow hit its intended target:Ivanov. The man took an arrow straight to the throat, which sent him tumbling into the ditch to their right. Richard barked, "RPG! FUCKING TAKE COVER!"
… The RPG rocket exploded above them, raining shrapnel down onto the dozens of soldiers and catching a couple of the Americans and Russians with shrapnel. The troops dived into the ditches, dragging the wounded over and quickly returning fire as the enemy started firing automatic weapons their way.
As the Corpsmen and medics dived onto their casualties to save them, the troops began to coordinate and immediately counterattack. Richard himself barked, "IKARI, SNIPE THE FUCKER THAT HIT IVANOV!" before lifting his rifle and firing bursts toward the muzzle flashes in the tree line. The Russian and American officers, meanwhile, quickly gathered their teams and moved down their makeshift trench.
Taylor mounted his M240 as his assistant gunner jumped to help him. The two immediately opened up, scarlet tracers meeting the enemy across the road from them, while Torres fired his M4 and coordinated with Itami, telling the man, "Itami! Tyuule and the girls said they wanna help with shock trooper duty!"
"Shino's got that!" Itami replied, shouldering his own rifle and firing at any shadow he saw moving across from them. Bullets zipped over his head in reply, shots coming from the right just as Ikari's rifle barked loudly, the contrail of the bullet zipping through the snow-laden air easy to follow to its intended target:The man wielding the RPG.
The next rocket fired by the fucker went high as his head exploded. Ikari then shifted her aim toward the trees, thermals active on her scope. She saw slim figures clad in local clothing running back into the forest and aimed for the first one, snapping off a shot center mass that tore clean through the right side of her chest.
Richard fired his rifle, moving toward Ivanov as Rosie and Coleman tended him. He asked, "What's Ivanov's status-?" only to pause as he saw the man was visibly more pissed than afraid. The arrow had gone all the way through his throat, but he was forcing himself to breathe just so he could stand up and grab his MG.
Coleman said, "He'll fuckin' live, I hope!" before radioing, "Baseplate, Baseplate, this is HITMAN THREE. We have multiple casualties in need of an airlift, times one injury in the neck in need of immediate transfer to surgical," then she looked back and waved at the other medics as they bandaged wounded limbs. They waved back and gave the okay in most cases, which let her report, "Multiple shrapnel wounds from RPG strikes of varying severity! Road to our POS is inoperable! Requesting MEDEVAC Choppers! Be advised, area is hot!"
Another arrow zipped by Tuka's head, scratching her ear and causing her to take cover. Looking at it as it embedded itself in the wall opposite her, she gasped. She pulled it out, looking at the forked tip, then mumbled, "Oh, Gods…" and peered out, watching those same slim figures moving out through the tree line. She barked, "DARK ELVES!" fearfully.
"Oh, wonderful," Rory mumbled, "They have those weird creatures working for them now…" before she peered over and spotted them, too. Dozens of Elves milled about in the forest ahead, dark-skinned beings with bright hair and burning eyes, clad in slimmed-down winter outfits and toting various weapons ranging from bows to the captured and mishandled weapons of the UNSC and the UN Task Force. She looked at Tyuule and the others and asked, "If you wish to join me in charging them down! It might break the ambush!"
"With pleasure!" Tyuule replied as she drew her blades. The other Warrior Bunnies followed suit, grabbing pistols or two blades. Rory grinned, then waved them forward, with the Lieutenants barking for covering fire as the shock units surged forward. Rory was the first one in, jumping high into the heavens.
One of the Elves, a young woman, gasped, eyes widening and fear visible in her eyes as she screamed in Elvish, "Apostle!" only to get split in twain by Rory's halberd when the young woman landed. The Warrior Bunnies followed next, blades biting into the flesh of the forward line of enemy units:A mix of Imperials and the Elves.
Blood soon stained the snow as blades met flesh, only to be met in turn by other blades. The Dark Elves fought a bloody hand-to-hand with the Warrior bunnies, but wavered when they saw Rory barrelling toward them with her halberd swinging high. The warrior Demigoddess laughed heartily as her blade swung high, then low.
Tuka had begun to aid, too, as soon as the initial shock cleared. Hefting her own compound bow, she aimed toward another man wielding a rocket launcher tube in the forest, then let loose her arrow, whispering in her mother tongue the words to let the steel-tipped projectile fly true. And true, it flew, striking the man in the eye and sending him tumbling to the floor, dead.
Beside her, a Russian rifleman fired toward another Elf that tried to charge them with her blade. The dark-skinned warrior collapsed, blood painting the snow-covered road. Tuka then looked back at the medics and called out to Coleman, "How long until the evacuation you requested arrives!?" as she saw the woman bandage the soldier's neck to hold the arrow in place.
"Two mikes out!" She replied, then saw confusion in Tuka's eyes and clarified quickly, "Two minutes!" only to yelp and duck as a bullet struck her helmet and bounced off into a tree. She scoffed, ducked under cover and continued tending to the man. The girl turned toward the Russian, only to gasp as she saw an arrow strike him clean through the throat, passing through. She tried to utilize her magic to heal him, but he was gone, his lifeblood spilling onto the snow.
She saw the bow-wielder, a woman her age, aiming and drawing another arrow. She then drew back her own string and aimed at her, chanting a few magical words that shrouded her arrow in wind magic, a whirlwind of power that would provide a boost. She let it loose, watching it go, only to see the woman narrowly dodge it through an acrobatic means the likes of which she hadn't seen before.
Other soldiers tried to aim at her, but the Dark Elf witch seemed to vanish through the use of her own magical powers, even as bullets zipped around them. The teams that had struck the front of the formation just down the road were forcing their way through, while the brutal melee within the forest continued.
The other Dark Elves soon vanished, too, though not without leaving behind corpses of their own. Tuka sighed, then quickly ran over toward Ivanov. Putting her bow down and her hands together, she quickly conjured up what little healing magic she knew in order to mend the injury, whispering words of ancient strength to the man.
Torres, meanwhile, scanned the battlefield to see where the Princess and her girls had gone, only to pause as the corpse of an Insurrectionist Mage fell to the floor in front of him. With a blade stained by blood, Piña stood in front of the man, a small smile on her face and a couple of injuries of her own, including a bullet wound in the hip.
Worriedly, the man scrambled to his feet, pulling a bandage out from his IFAK and wrapping it around the wound, before murmuring, "Did you even use your guns…?" only to look back and see Beefeater duel an Imperial soldier with a wolf hood. She parried a strike, dodged a thrust from the Gladius, then swung left to right, severing his arm at the elbow.
The woman then drove the blade into his chest, while Bozes joined in, driving her own into his back at an angle, to avoid her comrade in arms. Withdrawing the blades, the two women let the 'officer' of the Imperial unit fall to the floor, dead, before Piña told him, "We didn't need to. Not quite yet…" as she held onto her side.
He sighed, then asked, "Where were you?"
"We rode a little farther ahead when the Ambush triggered," She replied, then tilted her head to the left. The man turned his head and gasped, watching the stout men from before, clad in ornate, strangely familiar armors approaching the formation. They had axes and war hammers at hand, some of which were stained by blood as they advanced toward them, with their leader, a red-bearded man, bowing to Piña.
She bowed back and spoke, "Many thanks for coming to our aid, King Durin," to which the man replied in his own language, which their helmets and suits couldn't translate. He urged them forward, to which the Princess soon realized she needed to translate. She told them, "He said we should follow before any more threats arrive."
"Tell him to wait for a bit… We need to get Ivanov and some of the worse-off wounded on that Pararescue chopper," The team Corpsman said as she watched Tuka working her magic. She told the girl, "He's stable enough to be transported, at least," only to pause as she heard the chop of rotorblades and looked up above as a shadow covered them, the blades blowing snow off the branches of the frozen pines around them.
As it descended, the team prepared to load Ivanov into the transport, with Richard telling him, "Don't worry, man. You're gonna be back to being an asshole in no time," which garnered a few laughs. He flipped his Lieutenant the bird and quickly mouthed a 'respectfully', which made Richard laugh. The Pararescuemen on the chopper descended, noticed the casualties and began triage, immediately loading the UNSC Marine into the chopper.
… One heavily injured member of Richard's team after three years being here… Not bad… Not great, either…