Devil's Advocate

Deja Vu

Bruno let out a wistful sigh, taking a sip from his canteen as bullets and spells whistled overhead. He was currently sitting in a trench with a few awestricken Imperial infantrymen, who were currently trying to process why the Guardian was amongst them as the boy fiddled with his rifle. He was going to need to do some maintenance on the damn thing once this battle was over. He looked up at the Lieutenant in charge of this group and asked. "Where is this marksman you've been hiding from?" The Lieutenant quickly crouched besides the boy.

"He's to the south, roughly 80 meters away in a foxhole."

Bruno raised a brow, slowly removing a small handheld mirror from the confused Lieutenant's vest. "Verify that for me, I want him aiming somewhere else." The man gave a slightly nervous nod before he slowly raised the mirror out. Bruno looked at it carefully, seeing the different muzzle flashes of gunfire before he zeroed in on a foxhole the mirror barely showed them. A quick flash from the hole and the mirror was reduced to shattered glass, Bruno swiftly popped out and sighted in on the Republic sniper. The man tried to adjust his aim in an attempt to shoot the child. A bullet struck his forehead, making his head snap back before he fell limply on the muddy ground.

Bruno nodded in satisfaction before he addressed the shocked men behind him. "Bastard's history, keep your heads on a swivel and radio in if you need assistance." The boy was about to leave when one of the soldiers stopped him. "Thanks and all but... why were you sitting with us to begin with?" The confused Corporal asked, mages usually only landed if they were injured or their gear was damaged. The boy looked perfectly fine to him.

Bruno offered a slightly embarrassed smile. "I was just feeling a little tired and thirsty, decided to catch my breath here." The men slowly nodded with looks of understanding. "I'm also kind of hiding from my sister while my battalion provides long range support, she's not very happy with me at the moment." The looks of understanding morphed into looks of pity as the men began to say their farewells.

"You were a great help, sir."

"I'll remember you fondly Major."

"We'll build a monument in your honor."

Bruno was starting to think he should have let that sniper live.

The boy quickly flew up, rejoining the chaos above as Imperial and Republic mages fought for dominance above the clouds. Just another day in the Rhine Front. Bruno softly sighed before swiftly firing at a hostile mage tailing Neumann, making the large man look back at him in gratitude. "Appreciate the help, Major! Republic bastards aren't going down easy." The boy laughed as he fired at a charging mage, silencing his war cry as he replied. "Probably not happy to see me and my sister again, we probably scarred some of the senile men in their command structure." At least he hoped they did, he shot down plenty of mages the last time he was here. Who knows how many Tanya had under her belt.

"BRUNO!"

Speak of the Devil.

Bruno was hoping that more enemies would arrive, something for the blonde haired girl to vent her frustration on before she caught him. He was just now starting to notice the lack of Republic mages around them, any stragglers were getting skillfully dispatched by long range homing spells. 'Curse my efficiency, my battalion is too effective!' The boy turned to fly away, only to be caught by his ear by the irritated Devil Of The Rhine. Tanya was covered in soot and mud, curtesy of Bruno after he pushed her away from an incoming mortar. A mortar Bruno assured her he would shoot out of the sky. The sharpshooter had done it before several times before both on and off the battlefield, so she thought nothing of it.

Bruno had just reached for a fresh mag when he noticed the shell arching towards Tanya, so he did what any good soldier would have and pushed her away. He may have pushed a little too hard, they weren't flying that high at the time so Tanya painfully landed in the mud. Bruno took a moment to check on her before he saw her state. She was drenched in mud and looked absolutely disgusted, something that made Bruno release a small laugh. The glare the short girl directed towards him once she heard that made him go pale. He quickly left, ignoring her enraged shouts to return as he started randomly assisting Imperial infantrymen and mages.