After punching out the radio, Tanya had fallen asleep, Valen's arm acting as her seatbelt for the most part. Since they had lost those communist bastards a little while back, the ride was rather calm. There was no swerving or overbearing turns. She felt as if she was just laying on a soft pillow on the back of a cart.
Something she had done as a youngster, while at the Orphanage, laying in a pile of hay that was stacked in the back of a moving horse-drawn wagon. She couldn't help but smile as she slept.
Valen every now and then glanced down at her as she seemed to be relaxed. A faint smile stayed his face, a quiet chuckle emitting from his throat. The way she appeared so peaceful was almost scary, even if it was a sleeping smile. He began to wonder what she was dreaming about if she was even dreaming at all, she was the Devil of the Rhine.
Though as his eyes rested on the car radio, a small frown formed over his lips. Those things cost a pretty penny as they had come out recently for domestic consumers.
Lightly resting his right hand on her shoulder, making sure she didn't slip off, he leaned back in his seat while keeping his left hand on the wheel.
That was when he heard it, the gunning of an engine, one that he didn't entirely recognize. His eyes trailed over to the driver side mirror that protruded from where the windshield met the dash. It was a police car? His eyes narrowed on the vehicle in the mirror, but he didn't see the Mage anywhere.
That was when a sweatdrop appeared over his brow.
Feeling his hand run down her arm, Tanya's eyes shot open and she raised a brow at the sound of an overlocked engine, followed by a loud BOOM. She immediately went to throw herself into an upright position, only for Valen to hold her down. "Valen!" She growled up at him as she flailed a hand, only for the sound of a trench shotgun to go off.
The sound of the windshield being twisted and torn apart echoed in her ears, glass splashing against the protective barrier inches from her face provided by Valen himself.
"Move it!" She shouted at him as he swerved the vehicle about, she wasn't going to stay down.
Valen could hear the person behind them reloading the weapon. A frown formed over his lips as he stared down at her. "Take the whe--"
KABOOM! Another shot rang out, breaking through Valen's barrier.
Blood splattered across Tanya's face as she still tried to sit up and Valen merely flinched. Her eyes locked on his arm, the one which was holding the wheel as she was half raised from his lap.
It was like a shark had taken a nibble.
Valen's face contorted slightly as he saw her face paling. "Anti-Magic Shells..." During the War, these Enchanted Ordanents were under development.
Tanya had recognized the sound of the gun used. The M1897 Trench Gun, a weapon that caused much-unneeded suffering despite its efficient use. Pulling the pistol from her bag as she wiped the blood from her face with her sleeve, she blindly aimed her other hand towards the car.
She could just make out the communists, it appeared they had commandeered the police officer's vehicle. It was likely they had disposed of the mage as well.
"Take the Wheel," Valen spoke as he looked over towards her with a frown.
She seemed to smile just a bit too much, cocking back the hammer of her weapon. Her azure eyes locked with Valen's briefly as she asked a question, "What rank were you?"
"Lieutenant Commander," His eyes narrowed on her as he knew exactly where she was going with this. Even though they had both once belonged to two separate entities, she wanted to pull rank.
"Well, I'm a Colonel post-modem," Tanya laughed aloud as she watched their enemies loading another shell. "Oncoming lane, now, we don't want him getting your head!"
Valen switched hands, quickly turning the vehicle just as the trench gun let out another shot. A chunk from the back of the jeep was blasted off, causing them to swerve for a few seconds.
Tanya didn't hesitate, while grabbing onto him to keep herself steady, moving into his lap partially, she began to fire over his shoulder. After three years without much practice, she hit the hood of the police car, killing the siren.
The enemy, however, continued to gain ground, the Jeep was slowing down.
"Why are we slowing down?" She turned her head to look at him before she turned her head to look at the chunk which was missing from the Jeep. They had hit the fuel reserve tank, and it was leaking heavily, there was no way to stop it. "We're flying!"
"Wha--" Valen didn't get to say much more as she activated her Military Grade Operation Orb, within seconds as she had grabbed onto him, they were in the air. He watched as the Jeep swerved right off the road and into the nearby trees, exploding in a flash of flames.
"Hah, not used to being the one being carried, are you!?" She had one arm hooked under his left as she was carrying him straight up and over the trees that lined the highway.
Tanya could imagine herself back in uniform again, in her Imperial Standard Issue flight suit and trench... A rifle in her arms and her main battalion right behind her. As the wind shot through her hair, her eyes stared to the sky as she poured her mana into great use.
With that shield of hers and her speed, she was aiming to go the extreme distance.
The Russ' Union agents couldn't possibly follow them through the woods with that car, right? Tanya was laughing at her own genius, a wide grin across her lips as she did so. As she sniffed the air however, her eyes slowly trailed to the wound on his right arm.
For some strange reason, her mind went back to the chocolates that were in her bag. A small smile formed over her lips from that large ear to ear grin. "You can fly on your own, right?"
"Now you're asking?" Valen asked as he looked up at him, his legs dangling freely as he looked up to her with an amused expression across his face.
That was when a bullet crashed into her shield, but unlike Valen's, it didn't breakthrough. Instead her magic shield cracked visibly, only for her to reallocate more magic energy to it.
"What the heck was that!?"
"I think they're trying to knock you out of the sky!" Valen sneered only for another one a few seconds later to go right passed his head. With wide eyes, he pulled himself from her, letting himself fall towards the forests below as he shouted, "Below the tree lines now!"
Nodding, both of them practically nose-dived beneath the treetops, obscuring their hunter's view. The two of them quickly maneuvered through the wooded area, keeping low so that they had no choice but to dodge branches and rogue trees.
Valen chuckled nervously, "You would think they'd be a bit more subtle!"
"If they want me, they don't need you!" Tanya spat out, and it was the truth. If they got rid of him, they could just focus on taking her captive. Without that special operation orb cursed by Being-X, she was equipped with a standard military one.
She could only let out a soft sigh at this revelation, she was weaker due to mana constraints.
"Makes me want to be around you, just a bit more," Valen couldn't help but laugh aloud this time and shake his head. To be honest, he didn't care that he was under fire, even with the wound, he was capable of keeping a straight head on his shoulders.
Tanya looked to him with a wide smile of her own across her lips, her brows raised as if judging him slightly. It reminded her of having Visha and the others around, they'd follow her just about anywhere.
That was when she noticed a serious expression form over his face.
"Drop," Valen ordered and immediately deactivated his flight spell, letting himself descend into the woods completely. He came to a landing roll, before finishing on a knee.
Tanya simply lowered herself behind a tree and landed flatly on her feet, before glancing over towards him with a brow raised. "Do you see someone or something up ahead?"
His eyes trailed along with their surroundings, unsure of how, but he was seeing a handful of enchanted weapons. Though he still didn't see any mages. "This is a trap... How'd they know?"
"Maybe they have a scrying spell?" Tanya quipped.
Valen groaned aloud as he drew his weapon, "There aren't any mages!"
Tanya blinked hearing this and she immediately glanced out from behind the tree, listening to her surroundings. She didn't see anyone, yet he was seeing people? She watched as he moved behind a tree adjacent to her position.
"How many are there?" Tanya was rather confused. She was used to being the one using Guriella warfare and unconventional methods to achieve victory.
"About ten, maybe twelve. I've identified at least that many enchanted weapons, but there could be more." Valen responded as he glanced back towards the general direction of the road.
They could enhance their speed with magic and get to the next town within an hour from now. That was a plan that could be on their plate, but they had to take care of these guys first.
If there were snipers with anti-magic rounds, they wouldn't get very far, at least he wouldn't.
Much like he had done three years ago to heal her from the mortal wounds caused by Mary Sue's relentless attacks during the Alliance Mopup, Valen used the healing spell to seal his wound.
"Spot them," Tanya ordered.
Valen stared at her for a few seconds before turning his head towards the trunk of the tree. "Twelve degrees South South West. Three hostiles."
Crouching behind the tree, she took the grip into both hands and began firing.
BANG! The sound of a body hitting the dirt resonated through the forest, followed by silence.
"We've located them, move in!" Their enemies shouted in Russian, breaking the brief stillness.
BANG, BANG, BANG! Tanya unloaded three more bullets, leaving two left in the chamber, after also taking out two communists that were coming towards them. "Two left." She uttered under her breath before looking to him with a brow raised.
"Don't look at me like that, the rest of my guns were in the Jeep!" Valen huffed lightly as he squats down and pressed himself against the tree, aiming. Being able to see their weapons threw the solid objects made him a brilliant spotter and even better marksman.
He could kill them while wearing a blindfold!
Pursing her lips, she looked in the direction he was aiming. There were five men coming out from behind a line of trees.
Charging the weapon through the pistol's grip, he pulled the trigger as the barrel itself was engulfed in a faint green hue. BANG! BANG, BANG, BANG! The bullets tore through obstacles, fiercely, in order to reach their intended targets.
The bullets took chunks out of the men, even tore one of their arms off. None of the shots were instant-kills like hers, yet their screaming could be heard from where they were.
She blinked several times looking at him, then back towards the last man who was still standing in shock seeing his comrades on the ground. A small grin formed over her lips as she revealed herself. Just as the enemy spy went to raise his weapon, she fired, his head cocking backward as the bullet tore through his skull.
With a satisfying plop, the dead body rested within the leaves and sticks upon the ground.
"There should be two or four of them left," Valen's gaze traced over the trees around them, he saw nothing at first, no movement and no enchanted guns as if someone had put a veil over them. Clenching his jaw, he looked to Tanya who was also looking around with a cautious eye.