Bruno hated their current circumstances, he knew they would need to be airdropped to get the jump on the Entente. Long range flight would get them detected so this made perfect sense to the young boy. They would briefly have the element of surprise before the bullets started flying, he appreciated any advantage they could get.
That didn't mean he liked riding on this stupid plane.
His battalion knew this, Tanya's battalion knew this, and Tanya certainly knew this if that infuriating smirk she shot his way was any indication. He wasn't exactly subtle about his displeasure. Bruno told the pilot to pray they don't crash, because if the man happened to survive, the boy would take him as high as he could before dropping him. Pale bastard was flying straighter than an arrow after that.
"Did you really have to threaten him, sir?" Kurst asked with a nervous look, resisting the urge to shrink away when Bruno glared at him for a moment. "Lieutenant, I've nearly died in one of these flying deathtraps once, is it really such a terrible thing to make sure we have a competent pilot?" He asked, tilting his head at his uneasy battalion as they shared the same thought.
'Strange way of asking...'
"My brother is just a little traumatized after flying a plane for the first time, I'm sure it will pass." Tanya's amused voice made the boy take a calming breath before he responded. "I wasn't flying it, I was steering it. I'm sure you wouldn't be all smiles after a damn plane crash." He shot her a small glare as she simply shrugged, making him huff before he turned to address his men. "Remember our objective here, the 203rd will neutralize the forts and guns lining the fjord. We get to greet the hostile response force that will surely come once we kick this hornets' nest. If the 203rd need more firepower, I'll dispatch two companies to assist. You all know how I feel about overkill." He briefly grinned, making Kurst and Viktoriya nervously gulp as the boy continued. "Hope you brought plenty of bullets, doubt the Entente will let us trash this place."
Walter smirked a bit and patted his ammo pouch. "I think my pouch is a bit light sir, think the enemy are willing to share the bullets?" His question made some of the men laugh as the boy shook his head with an amused smile. "How about you ask them when you see them? I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige." A few chuckles rang out as Bruno fastened his helmet, listening to Tanya as she briefed her own battalion.
"This plan relies on surprise, we have thirty minutes to neutralize those defenses. " She began, waving her hand towards Bruno and his men as she continued. "I would say something about retreating if either I or the First Lieutenants go down, but since we have such vigilant watch dogs, I don't think that'll be an issue."
"The hell did I say about calling me a dog!?"
Tanya ignored Bruno's shout of indignation as she smiled. "We should be in good hands, so don't make everyone suffer this cold longer than needed and wipe out those defenses! The element of surprise will only work for a short while so expect resistance! I expect you to crush whatever the Entente can throw us!" She shouted with narrowed eyes, making her battalion click their heels as they responded with a resounding. "Yes ma'am!"
The intercom blared to life above them. "You're clear to jump! Give em hell!" The pilot called out, making the two children grin as they approached the separate doors. Bruno threw the door open and shouted loudly over the roaring winds.
"Time to earn our pay ladies and gentlemen! Jump!"
-
Anson Sioux considered himself to be a good man, he fought valiantly for his country along with his brothers in arms. He mourned the deaths of both the young and the old in this terrible conflict, always praying whenever he learned he and his men were to be deployed. He loved his family dearly and wanted nothing more than to be with them, to be far away from this war. To rest in the warmth of his own home and hold his daughter Mary close like he always used to before all of this started.
Sweet little Mary, the same girl who engraved his initials into the submachine gun resting on his lap. What was this world coming to?
He was broken out of his thoughts by the sounds of static, glancing at the communications officer. "What's going on?" He gruffly asked, standing up quickly.
"I don't know." The man replied with a confused voice. "For some reason, we've lost contact with a patrol ship." Anson felt dread slowly creep into his system as Gunner, his second in command, asked.
"Equipment trouble?" All he received was a shrug. "Everything's working fine, it might be a problem on their end." The officer replied as Anson leaned over his shoulder, examining the equipment closely. "What about the other patrol ships?" He asked, making the man tune in to the proper frequency. They were greeted by static as the officer spoke. "The same, I'm getting nothing but static from all three of them." His answer made Anson grip his weapon tightly, something wasn't right here. Those boats were supposed to check in every thirty minutes, past communications were clear of interference. What the hell was going on here?
A distant explosion made the men gasp in surprise, making them look outside the windows of their compound to see a plume of smoke slowly rise into the air from further down the coast. Another collection of explosions dot the distant landscape, Anson could barely make out the sight of multiple figures flying through the air. The enemy was here?! A mage force of that size would have been detected long before now, that means they were transported here, possibly paradropped. Gunner watched in shock as the enemy continued to wreak havoc on the coastal forts.
"The enemy must have paradropped..." He said with narrowed eyes, briefly spotting another battalion holding their position high above the chaos. What were they doing? Why aren't they engaging? His eyes slowly widened when he saw a brief flash of green from one of the figures, shouting loudly. "Incoming!" His men quickly hid behind something solid as an explosive spell detonated right outside the window, obliterating the railing outside as well as the communication equipment. Anson heard the communication officer wheeze in pain as he weakly gripped a shard of wood embedded in his chest, one of his men was quick to drag the man to safety as he barked out orders.
"We need to move out! Engage those Imperial bastards and kick them out of the fjord!" His men scrambled to get combat ready as he tried to discern the enemy's objective. Why launch such a precise strike here when the fighting was raging elsewhere?
He didn't like this in the slightest.
-
"Damn, just grazed him." Bruno mumbled as he cycled another round into his rifle, slowly lowering it as he gazed down at the crumbling forts. Tanya's battalion was cutting through the enemy, firing explosive spells into the hastily assembled defenders with devastating results. He spied a man scrambling to set up a machine gun, prompting the boy to put a hole through his skull and sew further panic amongst the defenders. Machine guns were a big problem since they had a higher chance to hit a mage compared to your average rifleman, don't have to worry about accuracy when you could fill the air with countless rounds.
He would know, he got to fire two so far. Great fun despite the circumstances.
His battalion was idly picking off high value targets as spotters called them out, keeping an eye out for the slightest hint of magic. "Got one going for the flak gun, running down the staircase to the right, see him?" A soldier asked, making Walter hum for a moment before he found the sprinting man. He smirked and fired, sending the man to the ground with a hole in his chest as he responded. "Dusted."
"Got a brave one making a run for that MG, second floor."
Petra's cold voice came through the radio as she cycled a fresh round, watching the man fall back with a spurt of blood as she reported. "Neutralized."
"Got one hauling a shell towards one of those coastal guns, running behind some stone pillars on the ground floor, left side."
A detonation caused by a piercing spell made the whole area turn into a fireball, completely obliterating the pillars the soldier was using for cover as Luis calmly stated. "He's gone, along with a quarter of the building."
Bruno smiled proudly as he listened to their reports and cohesion, they were completely dismantling the panicking Entente soldiers below. Any brave soul with their wits about them was swiftly targeted by the floating sharpshooters. They quickly identified priority targets and eliminated them swiftly, allowing their sister battalion to continue their assault with less flak and lead flying after them. These forts would be reduced to rubble soon enough if they continued working like this.
"Major! We got a battalion of hostile mages closing in, and they look mighty pissed!"
Of fucking course, now they decided to send a response force.
"Form up and hit them with a volley! Send these bastards to an icy grave and give the 203rd some breathing room!" He barked as he raised his rifle, quickly sighting in on one of the charging mages as his men formed up in front of him with rifles aglow. He would be damned before he let a single one of these Entente mages through, they could happily clean the mess once they left this frozen shithole.
"Fire!"
-
"Incoming volley! Evade! Evade!" Gunner's panicked shout made his company quickly take evasive maneuvers as a mixture of piercing and homing spells flew past them. The dying screams behind him let him know that more than a few rounds hit their marks, making him grit his teeth as he flew beside Anson.
"Bastards are accurate, they really don't want us getting in the way."
Anson narrowed his eyes as he felt sweat slowly drip down his forehead, this would have been easier if they were dealing with only a company or two. He wasn't confident in his battalion's survival against such skilled sharpshooters. If only they had more men...
"Battalion commander! We've got friendlies coming in from the west, looks like a Republican force!" A soldier shouted with relief, narrowly avoiding a piercing spell. The news made Anson grin as his battalion felt confidence swell in their hearts, they could overwhelm the enemy and save their emplacements. It really felt like God was watching out for them.
"Splendid news, let's push our advantage and trap the enemy before they can respond!" He shouted, making his battalion reply with a resounding cry.
"Yes sir!"
-
Bruno resisted the urge to break his rifle over his knee as he heard news about a Republic force from the west, it was two companies' worth of soldiers bearing down on them. "Second and Third company! Greet our rude guests and tell them to wait their damn turn! First and Second company, we are neutralizing that Entente battalion!" He received quick confirmations from the three company commanders as he tuned in to Tanya's frequency. "We've got Republic mages trying to box us in, speed up your work before things get crowded up here." He said with a bit of urgency, making Tanya narrow her eyes as she responded "Understood, hang in there, we're almost done down here." Her eyes slowly turned gold as she called on the familiar, intoxicating power of the Type-95. She refused to let these fortifications endanger her friend and her battalion for a second longer.
A brilliant explosion from below made Bruno's eyes widen briefly before he sighed slightly, he didn't want her to use that cursed orb but the situation was starting to call for it. He looked up at the approaching Entente mages with a sneer before he switched to explosive spells. "Prepare for a hectic dogfight! Cut through this rabble and stay mobile!" He roared before he blasted off with his company in tow, firing a quick shot into a man that charged to meet him. His defensive shell tanked the hit as the boy soared past, allowing one of his men to gun the briefly stunned man down as he rammed his bayonet into a shocked soldier's chest.
A shout from his right made him turn the limp body, allowing it to take the explosive spell as he quickly reduced his attacker to a fine red mist. The familiar sounds of conflict and explosions echoed around him as the Entente tried to get a bead on his men, pursuing them mercilessly as the Imperials deftly avoided their fire. Bruno quickly ascended with two mages on his heels, narrowing his eyes slightly as he pulled the pin off one of his grenades. He allowed it to cook for a moment before releasing it, abruptly cutting his ascent and barreling past his surprised pursuers as the grenade fell between them. He barely paid the explosion any mind as he emptied his mag into two more Entente mages. Swiftly slamming a fresh one home as he evaded incoming fire.
It took all of Anson's focus and skills as a soldier to evade fire, these mages were a cut above the Imperial standard. Their frequent use of decoys had him and his men second guessing their targets, leading to further causalities. Their gear wasn't anything to scoff at either, bastards had some impressive speed. It aggravated him to no end that two companies were dealing so much damage to his unit, he shuddered to imagine how long they would last with an entire battalion of mages like this gunning for them. Those Republic mages were probably getting torn apart.
Gunner's panicked shout made him glance behind him as the man flew with him. "We can't keep up with these guys! We're taking heavy losses!" He warned as he quickly firing a shot at a distant mage, cursing internally as the soldier fizzled away. Anson took aim at the retreating mage as he responded. "We have to break through, our reinforcements won't hold them back for long!" Gunner tightened his grip on his rifle as he started speaking once again "But at this rate-."
A piercing spell ripped a clean hole through his throat, turning the rest of his sentenced into garbled sputters as he fell to the frigid waters below. Anson looked behind him with wide eyes, watching the waves swallow his dependable second in command's body as he shouted. "Major Gunner!" The man quickly looked away and grits his teeth, shaking his head as he refocused on the fight. Mourning would have to come later, he traced the round to the shooter. His eyes slowly widened as he took in the sight of a brown haired boy quickly shooting another one of his battle brothers out of the sky. That was the same boy that assisted that blonde haired monster during that massacre at the border! He vividly remembered every moment. watching the two monsters disguised as children rip his men apart before one of them blew themselves up. He remembered watching his superior bleed out on the flight back, his arms reduced to bloody stumps.
He was hoping the boy was consumed in the explosion along with that devil.
Rage began to boil in his chest, those two were responsible for a great deal of suffering and death. He wasn't about to let one of them go unpunished when he had the chance to strike. He shot forward with a loud war cry, vengeance and determination washed away his fear of death. He raised his rifle as a few Imperial mages took aim. "Out of my way!" He roared as he unloaded on them, forcing them to evade or brace with defensive shells as the vengeful man shot past them. He was intercepted by Kurst, who hit him dead on with an artillery spell. The young man was shocked to see the man fly through the smoke with his shield flaring, quickly bracing himself as the air around him came alive with rapid explosion spells. He coughed as he activated his radio.
"Major! You got one heading straight for you!"
Bruno grunted in acknowledgement, ascending quickly as he reached for a new mag, only to flinch when an explosion went off near him. Anson was gaining on the boy and was firing in short, controlled bursts in an attempt to hit the child soldier. He reached for his Mauser just as his radio came alive with Tanya's static laced voice. His eyes widened as he grinned, suddenly banking to the right before rapidly descending past a baffled Anson. The boy tuned into his radio and happily reported. "Coastal guns are history! Battalion, withdraw! This is the navy's fight now." He said as he prepared to withdraw, looking back to see Anson stare at the horizon with wide eyes.
Four Imperial battleships loomed menacingly, steadily advancing on the defenseless fjord without fear. Their cannons slowly aimed at the base and train tracks, going still for a moment before they all fired. Shells raced through the air and struck the base with devastating force, lighting the base up with explosions at random spots. A shell destroyed a coming train, turning it to scrap and killing the last regiment of reinforcements the Entente would receive this day. Anson shakily stared at his fallen battalion, at all the dead defenders tasked with protecting the now crumbling defensive fort. He lowers his head and offered a small prayer for the lost souls before he looked up with grim determination, the day may be lost, but he could still do some damage before everything came crashing down He turned to pursue the Imperial mages, only to hastily raise his defensive shell as multiple piercing rounds struck him. He grits his teeth as his shell slowly started to crack, watching with wide eyes as Bruno rushed forward with his bayonet poised to strike.
The blade shattered his defensive shell and forced him to grab the rifle with both hands as the boy sent them careening towards the ground quickly. Bruno let the rifle go just as they were about to hit the ground, leaving the man to roll across the snow painfully as the boy landed a few feet away of him with a slight stumble. Anson threw the rifle aside and raised his submachine gun to fire as he sat up, only to have it kicked aside as he pulled the trigger, making it fire harmlessly into the trees as Bruno punched the man in face. Anson stumbled back with a grunt as the boy unsheathed his combat knife, darting forward to stab the man as Anson frantically dodged and redirected his jabs. Anson narrowly avoided a cut aimed for his throat as he grabbed Bruno's arms, squeezing tightly as he threw a punch toward the boy's gut, making the child soldier wheeze as the air in his lungs left him momentarily.
Bruno grits his teeth and used Anson's grip as leverage, jumping up and tucking his legs into his chest before driving both of his feet into the man's chest. Anson felt something break in his chest as he recoiled with a shout of pain, letting the boy fall to the ground near his rifle. He glared at the boy with hatred before his eyes widened, quickly catching a thrown knife as the boy charged forward and jabbed his rifle forward towards the man's stomach. Anson only had enough time to drop the knife before the bayonet pierced his stomach, weakly grasping the rifle with a gasp of pain as Bruno caught the falling knife. He drove the blade into Anson's chest, making the man cough up blood as the boy roughly shoved him to the ground with furious shout. Bruno panted heavily as he nursed his bruised stomach, carelessly ripping his rifle out of the man's stomach, ignoring his pained cries as he did the same with his knife.
The boy wiped the blood off on his sleeve as he walked over to Anson's disregarded submachine gun, picking it up and examining it before he paused at the sound of a weak voice. " Please... that was a gift... Mary... made that for me." Bruno raised a brow and slowly marched over to the dying man, taking a knee besides him as he spoke. "Quite the gift, who's Mary? Your wife?" He asked, making the man weakly shake his head. "Daughter..." His answer made the boy frown, he slowly ripped the mag out of the gun and checked the chamber before placing the weapon on Anson's chest. Anson looked up at him with shocked eyes as he slowly reloaded his Mauser, cradling the submachine gun delicately as the boy aimed at his head. "Would you... allow me to pray one last time... for my family?" He slowly asked.
Bruno should have said no, should have simply shot the man there and be done with it. He didn't even know why he handed the stupid gun back, bastard could still move his arms enough to load a fresh mag and shoot him. Why was he entertaining this nonsense? No God was listening to this man, only that pretentious wannabe Being X. Why was he doing this? 'Because you're about to rob some girl of a father, put her in the same situation you faced years ago.' He thought to himself, frowning deeply. What was so different about this man? He's killed countless men who probably had families waiting for them. Why show such a courtesy to one man he barely knew and was responsible for killing?
"You should always give thanks Bruno, offer a small prayer to God for our meal."
A confused young boy tilted his head. "But mommy made this food, shouldn't we be thanking her too?" His innocent question made his father laugh softly as he ruffled his hair affectionately "Of course we should, but remember that God created everything she used to make our dinner, a little prayer goes a long way to show the big man upstairs that we care." He softly lectured before he clasped his hands together, his action slowly mimicked by a softly smiling Bruno.
Bruno's hands shook for a moment before he suddenly relaxed, looking at Anson as he stoically answered. "Go ahead, I don't see the harm in it." The boy sat down besides the smiling man as he closed his eyes, praying for the safety of his wife and daughter as Bruno watched on. He cursed his stubborn habit as Anson prayed to God for Mary's wellbeing, hoping she can forgive her father for not being able to return home. Bruno felt his ire slowly grow as he stared at the man, waiting for him to open his eyes to speak. "Why fight this stupid war if you loved your family so much? Why throw away a future with them for this?" He waved around them, gesturing to the ruined base slowly getting overrun by Imperial marines as landing barges hit the shore. Anson stared at the boy for a moment before he answered.
"To protect them and my country, to make sure this war doesn't reach them." The boy scoffed at the answer, shaking his head slowly. "None of this would have happened if you people never tried to encroach on Imperial territory, you should have stayed home if you knew your leaders were so inept." Bruno spat as he glared at the ground, making the man chuckle briefly before he coughed up a bit more blood. This certainly wasn't how he imagined his final moments to go, speaking with the Devil's Advocate in such a casual manner. "Why... are you fighting than?" He asked, making Bruno narrow his eyes as he answered. "Because it was either this or starve, I had no one to look after me, no one to fall back to like you. I have no family waiting for me like you, which makes your choice to willingly serve even more absurd to me." He ranted as Anson looked up at him with slight pity, this was still a child after all, a child whose future was determined by the course of this war.
"You didn't have to risk your life out in this shithole, didn't have to bleed out here. You could have gone the rest of your life living happily with your family instead of dying in this stupid war." He didn't know why this was angering him as much as it was, he didn't even know this man. "I can't just sit by and let the Empire take over my country... this is my duty as a soldier and a patriot." Anson was briefly surprised when the boy suddenly shouted. "Congratulations, you got to die as a valiant patriot! You'll be remembered as a brave hero by everyone except your fucking daughter! She's going to be left wondering why her daddy had to die for something she barely understood, why he had to die for nothing as her country falls!" Anson blinked as Bruno threw his arms up in exasperation as he glared at the dying man.
"You didn't have your days numbered! You didn't have to leave her without a father like-!"
Bruno abruptly shut his mouth, realizing just how bad he was shaking, it certainly wasn't because of the cold. He glared at the ground as he tried his best to calm himself as Anson looked at the boy with soft eyes, this wasn't the same soldier who charged headfirst into his battalion. This wasn't the same monster that made mages and soldiers alike whisper horror stories about his work in the Rhine. This was just a resentful kid who hated his circumstances, who's childhood was robbed by misery and war. This was the future he feared Mary might go through if this war raged on. He didn't want her to end up like this poor boy. He sighed softly as he felt his body grow weaker. "Thank you... for letting me pray... I hope my darling Mary never goes through this terrible life of war... like you." Bruno looked back at the moment as he closed his eyes, his breaths growing weaker as he raised his pistol. He put Anson out of his misery with a single shot through the head, staring at the body for a moment.
What a foolish man.
He took the gun out of his arms, slinging his rifle over his shoulder as he flew towards the Imperial battleships.
-
Petra was on him like a worried mother when he landed, frantically asking him why he didn't respond to their calls and looking at his bloody uniform with clear concern. "Not my blood, dealt with that Entente mage gunning for me." He simply answered as he brushed past the frowning woman, whatever happened during that skirmish left their Major in a foul mood. He stopped by his assigned quarters to switch out of his dirty uniform, leaving his rifle inside as he marched into the mess hall. He looked at the celebrating members of the 203rd and 204th as they ate their fills in a mighty feast. A wide assortment of foods were available, bread, sausage, beans, potatoes, even a decent amount of chicken. The navy sure fed their own well. Walter looked up and grinned as he spotted his commander. "Major! Was wondering when you were going to join us." He said merrily as the boy approached.
"I'll probably be joining you lot shortly, can't stomach too much food after a flight like that." He lied as he grabbed a piece of bread, chewing on it for a moment before he swallowed. "Where did my sister run off to?" He asked, prompting Viktoriya to quickly answer as Kurst stuffed his face besides her. "She's out back, went to get some fresh air." Bruno nodded and smiled slightly at the woman. "Thank you, Lieutenant Serebryakov." He said as he walked out of the hall, leaving the soldiers to their celebration as he searched for Tanya.
He found the small girl leaning against the railing as she took in the sight of the burning Entente base. "Quite a sight, huh?" She asked no one in particular, nearly jumping off the ship in surprise when Bruno responded. "I'd say, navy really kicked some ass today." He smirked a bit at her angry glare as she relaxed once more. "Why weren't you responding earlier? I've been trying to raise you ever since we got the order to withdraw!" The boy simply shrugged as he answered. "Hard to answer calls while fighting for my life, I got you a souvenir since I figured you'd be snippy." Tanya was seconds away from yelling at the boy before he hander her Anson's submachine gun, letting her examine it with a critical eye as he leaned on the railing. It was a well made gun that was surprisingly light in her arms.
"Got it from a mage gunning for me, bastard nailed me in the gut before he went down." He huffed, idly rubbing his bruised arm. Anson had one hell of a grip. "Figured you'd like it, given your specialty in incredible violence at close quarters." It certainly fit Tanya better, he had little need for a rapid fire SMG as a sharpshooter. Tanya smiled a bit as she slung the gun over her shoulder. "It's a nice weapon, thanks Bruno. I would have preferred chocolates as a gift but this works too." The boy smirked and looked over at the short girl.
"So, the chocolate I got you were the right gift for your birthday."
"Oh give that a rest already! I'm not explaining myself again!"
"Don't need to, I already have my answer."
Tanya refrained from saying anything else, opting to glare at the grinning boy before she noticed his exhausted state. He wasn't just physically exhausted either, his eyes reflected his troubled mind clearly as he turned to look at the burning base. She briefly frowned before she slowly asked. "Is something bothering you?" Bruno frowned for a moment and slowly nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?" He shook his head with a heavy sigh. "Not really, I appreciate it but I really don't feel like thinking about this crap again." Tanya respected his wishes and gave a slight nod, simply staring out at the calm waters as a comfortable silence fell over them. Tanya racked her brain for a way to help her troubled friend, talking certainly wasn't going to help at the moment. If Bruno of all people wasn't feeling talkative than something was seriously wrong.
A light bulb when off in her head as a solution came to her, most people felt better after receiving a hug, right? She certainly felt better after Bruno declared that he would stick by her through thick and thin. She nodded to herself before slowly wrapping her arms around the brooding boy's waist, hugging him gently as he looked over at her with a slightly surprised expression on his face. What the hell was that face for? What was so shocking about her giving him a stupid hug? Her internal rant was halted when Bruno relaxed, smiling softly as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and returned her embrace warmly. She allowed herself to smile back as she enjoyed the warmth of his body, mentally congratulating herself for coming up with yet another flawless plan.
They watched the shore grow distant by the second, enjoying this brief calm as much as possible.