I'm kind of confused as to what's happening here. Is it that she is getting promoted during the battle in order to have greater authority over the troops in her area?
Shackled to a Corpse (Youjo Senki/Saga of Tanya the Evil)
- Thread starter DualWing
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As with canon, they were not expecting her to actually be able to fend off the Legadonians. So they basically fast track her training and pass her, giving her the promotion to second Lieutenant.
But this is happening during the battle and not after, right?
Well, normally all she has to do is to pass her live firing test to be promoted. But because the test was cancelled due to the attack, she was immediately promoted.
So yes, mid battle promotion.
Okay, thanks for the clarification.
I will say that I have very mixed feelings about Tanya getting nerfed as hard as she has been so far, particularly the loss of the Type-95. It just feels off, especially after so much of Tanya's thunder has been already taken up by Marcel, but that could just be me.
Honestly, with how capable Tanya is, the Type-95 is as much a crutch as it is a tool.
She uses it way too often for her own good, up till the point where it is basically her only strategy, turning her from a very capable mage into a one use nuke.
She now has an orb that is somewhat better than a type-97, she can do alot with just that.
She uses it way too often for her own good, up till the point where it is basically her only strategy, turning her from a very capable mage into a one use nuke.
She now has an orb that is somewhat better than a type-97, she can do alot with just that.
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- They/Them/She/Her
I'm confused by the timing of the opening sections. At first I thought the second section was happening during Tanya's final training, that they were attacking right then and there, but then that seemed to not be the case. Then the third section appears at the beginning to be happening after she's been in the combat that was about to start at the end of the second section, but then it seems to be starting also as that begins? But then I'm not sure what promotion she's talking about, unless that refers to an otherwise so far unmentioned engagement?
So... Yeah. Not really sure what was going on there, but I'm going to continue reading the third section now; perhaps it'll become at least somewhat clearer later.
...Uh. Wait, wow, okay, so it turns out they actually were attacking during the training. Wait, but. Tanya was just on a range, right? And there was no mention of an attack on the range, so was it nearby, or... what's going on here?!
Sorry. I'm just confused and frustrated. The sections so far in this chapter have been good in themselves, but trying to fit them together...
(And if this is still during that training, then I have even less idea what promotion Tanya was talking about.)
Fortunately, the relationships between sections seemed to clear up after that, while the sections themselves remained enjoyable.
And the politics, indeed, seem interesting; I'm wondering how that's going to work out.
Ah, and reading comments, I see I wasn't the only one confused by those events. I do think they could perhaps do with clarification in the chapter. Also, it sounds like this artillery training may have been something that happened in canon, and the promotion as well? If so, it seems possibly my confusion comes from the story assuming the reader knows that, which in my case at least was inaccurate.
So... Yeah. Not really sure what was going on there, but I'm going to continue reading the third section now; perhaps it'll become at least somewhat clearer later.
...Uh. Wait, wow, okay, so it turns out they actually were attacking during the training. Wait, but. Tanya was just on a range, right? And there was no mention of an attack on the range, so was it nearby, or... what's going on here?!
Sorry. I'm just confused and frustrated. The sections so far in this chapter have been good in themselves, but trying to fit them together...
(And if this is still during that training, then I have even less idea what promotion Tanya was talking about.)
Fortunately, the relationships between sections seemed to clear up after that, while the sections themselves remained enjoyable.
And the politics, indeed, seem interesting; I'm wondering how that's going to work out.
Ah, and reading comments, I see I wasn't the only one confused by those events. I do think they could perhaps do with clarification in the chapter. Also, it sounds like this artillery training may have been something that happened in canon, and the promotion as well? If so, it seems possibly my confusion comes from the story assuming the reader knows that, which in my case at least was inaccurate.
Nerfed? I mean, okay, I don't actually know much of canon, but it sounds like she might actually have more resources here, based on what I do know and some things said in this story? And as for the loss of the Type 95, I'm not inclined to consider that a nerf, more a major problem avoided, and my impression is that that's also Tanya's view.Schehera Mari said:
Alright so I'm not really sure how to explain it, but I'll do my best.
So Tanya is still an officer Cadet at the start of this chapter. Her official rank is Warrant Officer.
The normal route of promotion is getting promoted to Second Lieutenant upon graduation of the Officer School.
Tanya has one last task before she Graduates as an artillery spotter mage, the live firing exercise.
Unfortunately she is interrupted when the Legadonians attack on the same day, near the range. Since as a show of power, the Germanians built the Artillery Range as close to Legadonia as possible.
Since her live firing exercise is interrupted, command decide to pass her anyways, seeing her amazing record. But they also order her to delay the Legadonian Mages. Basically ordering her to die to gain some time for the Germanians.
Tanya complains that only getting promoted once isn't worth the trouble of facing off against a whole dozen Legadonian Mages.
Hope this helps.
I meant a nerf in terms of her own individual capabilities and achievements. They are already getting less and less impressive what with her no longer having the entirely unique Type-95 that shouldn't have been able to be produced for decades at least or not holding off the Legadonians all on her own and blowing up her orb when she ran out of mana, showing her "dedication" and "resourcefulness", but then you compare all of her other abilities and achievements and they are automatically less impressive than they were in canon because Marcel did it first. Her understanding of warfare is less impressive, her ruthlessness and disregard for international law is less shocking(Although, this does seem to contrast between Marcel and Tanya well enough to create a conflict between the two, so we'll see where it goes), her tactics and ideas are less of an innovation, her formation of the 203rd is less meaningful as well because it's just a Germanian copy of the Vultures. It's not too much of an issue right now but I definitely think something has to be done about it to make her stand more separately and distinctly from the legacy of Marcel.
Hrm, well certainly... That's kind of what I'm going for right now. Everyone treats her like she's like this because she's his student.
Until the two of them hit their conflict point.
But there's still a few major battles till then, so stick around.
- Pronouns
- They/Them/She/Her
Eh. I'm skeptical I'd be having this problem even if I was more familiar with canon, but different people look for different things in stories, of course. Sorry this is bothering you, and hopefully this one ends up working out for both of us!
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Though we do seem to have especially different views regarding the Type 95, as I'm still feeling her not getting it here as a looming threat dodged, a danger escaped.
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That's fine. It's why I said earlier that it was probably just me.
In regards to the Type-95, the fact that it is a threat to Tanya is a big part of what is so disappointing about losing it. Having the danger of mental corruption to Tanya, who doesn't have any actual reason to hate God aside from some lingering feelings from Salaryman and the notes that she made before losing her memories and clings to them without any real frame of reference as to why, is a really interesting prospect to explore that unfortunately won't happen anymore. We also won't get the image of pious Tanya, unless she incorrectly thinks that she still has to pray to use the three cylinder orb, which would be kind of amusing in its own right but unlikely. I'm almost certain it will change as the story progresses, but as it currently stands, this Tanya is just less impressive even if she is(rather enjoyably) more "human".
I am definitely still thoroughly enjoying this story though, don't get me wrong, it's just that I worry about how the rest is going to pan out.
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I'm in a hurry at the moment, but thanks for the more detailed explanation.
You're more than welcome.
All Quiet in the West
All Quiet in the West
Western Front, Germania22nd December 1923
Tanya reviewed her journal while in her tent, occasionally tugging at the loose threads of her sweater.
Making allies was an important thing no matter where you work, even more so when your profession requires you to dance with death on a daily basis.
Consulting her journal, Tanya could only identify two people who she could consider likely allies.
First was her current Company Commander, First Lieutenant Ihlen Schwazkopf of the 205th Assault Mage Company. As described in her journal, he was a superior that understood the importance of talent, someone Tanya would happily work under. He was capable if a bit orthodox and by the book.
Getting along with her superior was simple enough, Tanya just had to show her professionalism. He was also one to make jokes, even in tough times, but perhaps the best part of the deal was that he didn't really care about her negative reputation as a Student of the Wraith either.
The Second was Second Lieutenant Viktoriya Serebryakova. She was very much different from what the journal had described. It was true that she would meet Viktoriya for the first time on this very battlefield, but she was not a Corporal nor new to war; she was a fellow Platoon Commander of the 205th and a veteran from the Two Empire War.
Yet if there was one thing that remained unchanged, it would be the fact that Lieutenant Serebryakova was still easy to befriend, with her amiable personality. They got along really well, Viktoriya even asked her to do away with the formalities and just call her Visha.
But perhaps the best part of their friendship was the coffee. Somehow, on this desolate and cold frontline, Visha had the resources to make the most Heavenly cup of coffee. No wonder her past self wrote so highly of her skills.
On the other hand, Tanya's subordinates were… inexperienced, to say the least. Cadets fresh out of the corps. Harald von Vist and Kurst von Walhorf were volunteers, while Frida Stein was a conscript.
The moment she saw the pair of Nobles, she knew what she was dealing with. She had seen plenty of those like them during her time as an Officer Cadet. Glory hounds, a drain upon the Empire's resources unless she could reform them.
"I see we have a pair of volunteers in our midst. I hope you didn't expect to be treated as heroes for volunteering to fight for our beloved Nation. I have no time to entertain any delusions of grandeur you may have and the Fatherland doesn't have the resources to keep feeding the useless. I expect you to do your best without the need for recognition."
The look of contempt in their eyes as she gave her speech didn't give her much hope for improvement. But perhaps their defiance could still be beaten out of them before they got anyone killed.
"As for you, Corporal Stein, you have my respect for fulfilling your obligations, stick with me and I'll do my best to keep you safe."
"Yes Ma'am!" replied the conscript.
"Now does anyone know how to make coffee?"
Silence. It seemed like she'd have to continue to subsist on Lieutenant Serebryakova's kindness instead. She'd need a good cup of coffee before she got on to writing her letters to Amelie and Major von Bastion.
Frida sat at the campfire, trying to figure out a way to make her rations marginally more edible.
A sudden shout from the tents almost caused her to drop her can of beans. As she regained her composure, she realised the cause, it was her fellow platoonmates.
"That fucking brat thinks she can just order us around because she's a higher rank? Does she even know who she's talking to?" complained Kurst, throwing his cap on the ground.
"Careful now. She may look like just a kid, but she's apparently pretty well known for her violent personality. I heard she tried to kill one of her underclassmen," answered Harald, taking a seat at the fire.
Angrily picking up his cap, Kurst joined his platoon mates at the fire, "I know who she is! Everyone knows who she is. The Wraith's best student, youngest living recipient of the Silver Wings and the fucking Spectre!"
"What do you mean? Surely she can't be that bad? She's a Hero!" Frida asked, unaware her commander had such a reputation.
"Don't be fooled by what the higher ups say, she's a monster just like her teacher!"
Elenium Labs, Germania
29th December 1923
"Why did you send such a blessed tester away? How can we create the Divine instrument now?" questioned Adelheid von Schugel, holding up his plans for a Quad-Core Orb.
Johann von Brandt retorted angrily, "You know why! I couldn't keep letting you put her in danger! Why were you disabling the safety systems of the prototypes?"
"Only when she faces true danger and opens her heart to The Lord can she truly aid in the creation of a divine artifact!" answered the crazed man.
Doctor von Brandt had no clue what new madness his colleague was spouting, but there wasn't a single doubt within his mind. Adelheid von Schugel was just a madman.
Throughout the entire testing process for the DT-80, Doctor von Schugel had been almost religiously sabotaging the safety features of the Orb in his still unexplained obsession. Time and time again, he had put Tanya in danger.
Yet despite all the evidence he provided on the Germanian Scientist's obsessive mental state, the higher ups refused to do anything. They were unwilling to punish the creator of the Type-51.
Johann had to take matters into his own hands. While he couldn't keep Schugel from tinkering with the Orb, he would always try to repair any damage before a test. Occasionally some damage would skip his notice, but that was where the extra parachutes and spare Orbs came in. A fact that Degurechaff seemed to appreciate.
It was honestly a relief when the Orb passed the threshold and was considered functional. Using all the remaining resources at his disposal, including both his and Major von Bastion's reputations, he finally convinced the Germanian command that the prototype was ready for a field test.
Working with Doctor von Schugel was stressing him out, his hair was already turning white. Working with that madman was going to be the death of him!
Ildoan Front, Osterreich-Ungar
31st December 1923
Marcel shivered as he held the letter opener, trying to weather the cold of the Mountains. Even now, he hadn't gotten used to chilly climates. Gingerly he opened the first of his two letters, the one from his mother.
While the letter was short, it held much emotional weight. His mother was checking up on his health, asking if he was eating well. Without a single mention of Tanya's impressive entry into the world of Aerial Combat, it seemed like she was no longer mad. Perhaps this was a sign that Tanya was also writing to her.
Marcel opened the second letter, this one straight from the western front, penned by Tanya herself. He chuckled to himself as he learnt that there wasn't a single line asking about how he was doing. Even now, Tanya still treated him like a teacher, her letter was full of ideas waiting for his review.
As usual it took him a while to properly decipher the strategies that lay in her diagrams and her words. None of them were inherently useful for his current situation, but they definitely couldn't be ignored.
It was honestly a little surprising that the Ostero-Ungarian mail services were still able to deliver letters to and from Germania. In the previous war, even the internal mail system had broken down.
Finally ready to write, Marcel quelled his shivering with a warming spell. With pen in hand, he wrote about his experiences in the frigid Highlands and his occasional forays into the aims below. Soon enough, the letters were filled with his many successes and none of his failures. What good was writing a letter if it only served to worry them further?
As he gave the letters one last read through, a head of red hair popped into the tent. It was Katya, back from her smoke break, "Major, what are you up to?"
"Writing to my family before the war gets too bad. It is new year's eve, after all," he replied, sealing the letters.
"Two letters? Must be that little sister of yours. Hmm. I would love to have a younger sister."
"Maman took care of Tanya as best she could. She's very smart and one hell of a Mage, pretty much my most talented student. Yet hearing that she's serving on the Rhine front…" answered Marcel, trailing off at the thought.
"You still worry about her."
"I don't want to. But no matter how much of a prodigy she is… she's still in one of the most dangerous places in the world."
"I'm sure if she's even half as good as you make out to be, she'll do fine. Join us for Hugo's birthday celebration, the rest of the Phantoms are waiting."
"Right, may the Lord protect her."
Western Front, Germania
2nd January 1924
Sergeant Lehmann covered his ears as he tried in vain to fall back asleep. Even when out of the trenches, he was unable to get a good rest. If he had his way, he'd have all the artillery silenced.
Why couldn't things stay as calm as they were just a few days ago? The unofficial truce for Christmas and the New Year was probably the best he had slept. But now that the celebratory mood was gone, the carnage had returned.
As for the 'Hero Mage' from Norden? Erik Lehmann didn't think much of her either. Whether they called her the Argent or the Spectre, she was probably going to end up like the rest of Germania's so called 'Heroes', unless the girl really lives up to her name as 'The Wraith's favourite student'.
Perhaps then, he might actually hope she ends the war as fast as he did the last one.
St Gertrude Orphanage
10th January 1924
Sister Amelia read through the recent letters she received from both her children. It was good to hear that they were doing well, even if she couldn't see them.
It was already a painful feeling to have to see them both fighting in a war. Knowing that both of them would have spent their childhood fighting wars that shouldn't have concerned them was even more painful.
At least they were both capable and could take care of themselves. Or that was what she told herself.
Western Front, Germania
13th January 1924
Frida scrubbed as hard as she could, hoping to get any remnants of blood off her skin. While her body worked on the monotonous task of hygiene, her mind drifted off to thoughts on her Platoon.
Frida had never been good at making friends. Ever since she was a child she had difficulty bonding with other kids, they could never understand her love for theatre, they didn't like it when she acted out her favourite roles.
Even now, she couldn't socialise with her platoonmates, even after all their life and death experiences together. Harald and Kurst still looked down on her. They didn't like that Lieutenant Degurechaff would slow down whenever she couldn't keep up, they saw her as a burden.
Finally done with washing blood off herself, Frida crashed onto her bed and prepared to shut her eyes. She didn't want to see another corpse, but even if she couldn't see the deaths, she could certainly hear it, feel it. Gunshots, explosions, screams of pain.
Clearing out the enemies that made it into the trenches was hard enough. She only managed to kill two Francois soldiers the first time, screaming the moment blood splattered on her face. Her Platoon commander ended up doing all the work. While she was puking her guts out in stress, Lieutenant Degurechaff complimented her on managing to stay alive.
Frida could still remember her exact words, 'War is terrible, isn't it? That's good, then fewer people will want it.'
Turning her head across the tent, Frida looked at her already sleeping commander all huddled up in her oversized coat. It was only in times like this that Frida could pretend Lieutenant Degurechaff was just a normal girl.
It was such a sad thought, that a ten year old girl could be so at home on a battlefield. There was something wrong about that, no matter what the propaganda said, no matter how sensible she acted.
The Alps
14th January 1924
The Ildoan soldier looked at the carnage around him, from burning corpses of once brave Ildoan men to shattered bombers once thought too high for a Mage to intercept.
He shivered, not just from the cold, but also in fear of what was coming soon. He knew what was going to come next, another charge upwards to their deaths. The Flight Mages that Ildoa was so proud of were being utterly crushed by invisible Mages! Like apparitions, the Mages would only leave a trail of corpses before disappearing again.
Their morale couldn't be lower. They had to brave the cold as their supplies dwindled. They had to follow the orders of foolish commanders, making suicidal charge upon suicidal charge against an unmoving enemy.
The Ostero-Ungarians didn't try to capture any ground after an Ildoan retreat. They would sit in their fortifications, mocking them every time they returned. Any ground gained through luck was quickly lost as the Mages would focus their firepower in reclaiming their ground.
The army that once outnumbered their enemies three to one was taking immeasurable losses. They couldn't possibly hold on for any longer. Their enemies ruled the mountains and he probably wasn't going home alive.
Western Front, Germania
17th February 1924
"I have no use for soldiers who can't follow orders! If you want to die a hero, I'll have you sent somewhere else!" screamed Lieutenant Degurechaff.
"You can't just expect us to hide and shoot our enemies in the back! Fighting like cowards!" replied Corporal von Walhorf.
"Would you rather go head to head with a full company of Mages? Three times our numbers? I didn't think you were that suicidal!"
"Don't think just because you had the Wraith backing you back then, you can throw your weight around now!" accused the Corporal.
"The Wraith? Yes he mentored me. Let me tell you the story about the only time I angered him. I had tried to forcefully correct a disobedient fool with violence. He stopped me," her grip tightened around the hilt of her Sabre, pulling it slightly out of its scabbard, "and told me that execution for disobedience was a wartime punishment."
The Corporal's eyes jumped between the Lieutenant's face and her sword finally realising what she was implying.
However she sheathed the blade, "But he also taught me that every soldier has a place in the military. Yours will be far away from here, where you can't cause any deaths but your own. You can go die a hero there."
Turning to her two remaining subordinates, she continued, "How about you, Corporal von Vist? I hear you've also voiced your dissatisfaction with me. Perhaps you want to join him as well?"
With her threat, the platoon of four was reduced to just two.
Second Lieutenant Serebryakova looked at her colleague from afar, shocked by her willingness to threaten her subordinates. She hadn't expected such a young girl to have the ability to be so aggressive.
When they first met, Viktoriya felt a connection. Perhaps it was the fact that both of them had enlisted at a young age. The feeling Tanya gave was very much like the pull the battlefield had on her, a sort of comfort in war. Quickly, the two of them had become fast friends, with Tanya quickly taking to calling her Visha.
It was honestly terrifying that Lieutenant Degurechaff was so efficient, so mature. Almost nothing she did seemed to fit her stature. Was it because the Wraith was her mentor?
Viktoriya was glad that she hadn't met the Wraith during her time at Officer Cadet School. Instead she had the much less threatening Lecturer von Bastion.
Although she still occasionally felt the pain in her ribs whenever she thought about the Ostero-Ungarian Ace, she didn't hold a grudge. It wasn't personal after all, it was just... War.
Would the Wraith feel the same way? Surely someone as monstrous as that would want vengeance.
Space Beyond Mortal Comprehension
Time Beyond Mortal Understanding
Kysll winced as yet another crack formed on his arm. With more Nations entering the fray, the War was only going to get worse. The souls of the many soldiers were already lining up for their reincarnation, adding to his workload.
He was stressed beyond measure with no one else to blame, he had brought it upon himself. If only he had been able to prevent this war.
Ildoan Front, Osterreich-Ungar
28th March 1924
"What I wouldn't give to be deployed somewhere warmer. Why do the Ildoans keep insisting on charging up the mountains?" complained Felix while huddled in layers upon layers of blankets.
"We've insulted their pride and they are willing to sacrifice their men to get it back. A poor investment, if you ask me," added Antonia while she crept closer to the heater.
"And they're making all of us pay for it! I'd kill a thousand more of them if it'd get me out of the mountains," declared Katalin as she rubbed her hands together.
"Spoken like someone who's never run through the snow during a Rus winter. This is nothing," mocked Katya, dressed lighter than the others.
"Can all of you just shut up? I don't want to hear anything more about the weather!" demanded Petra, the chill doing nothing to cool her temper.
"Why? Is the cold ruining your Noble complexion?" asked Marcel, walking in with military orders in hand, "In that case, I have good news for all of you. Pack your equipment, we're being redeployed to the Adriatic, we have a Navy to terrorise."
In unison everyone in the tent exclaimed, "Praise the Lord!"
Western Front, Germania
3rd April 1924
Crown Prince Otto had never been on a battlefield before. Sure, he had participated in plenty of military exercises before, but those were in the comfort of Berun.
It was only when his boots sunk into the mud that he realised he was perhaps a little too spontaneous in his trip. He thought he had mentally prepared himself for what he was seeing, but he was wrong. He wasn't prepared to see the injured and he certainly wasn't prepared to see the dead.
But there was little that could be changed now, he had come here to raise the morale of the troops and so he would. What better way than a walk through the trenches and a photo op with some of the soldiers? Surely he would be in safe hands under the protection of the best of the Germanian Military, their Mages were unparalleled after all.
He should have a picture taken with one of their Aces while he was at it. What did they call her? The Spectre?
Tanya looked at her latest orders incredulously. She could read every word written down individually, but she didn't understand the whole thing. Were they seriously relegating her to babysitting the Crown Prince? Even on the battlefield she couldn't escape being treated as a piece of propaganda.
With a sigh, she called for her wingman, "Corporal Stein, I have bad news and horrible news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"Can I pretend that there's no news and go back to having breakfast?" asked Frida, unwilling to look her commander in the eye.
"Unfortunately not. This concerns you," laughed Tanya, taking the comment as a joke.
"The bad news first," sighed Frida.
"This will be our toughest job yet."
"How big is the enemy force?"
"That's the horrible news. We're not fighting anyone, we just have to protect the Crown Prince!"
"What?"
Otto looked at his entourage of Mages, there were half a dozen of them. It would have been quite reassuring if one of them wasn't a literal child. He had certainly heard that the Ace was a prodigy, but he wasn't expecting her to be a child genius.
Was the situation at the front so bad that they had to use child soldiers already? From what he had learnt, they were supposed to be doing well. Perhaps he shouldn't have sent away his guards that quickly.
The diminutive Ace stepped forward and bowed, "Greetings, Your Highness. We Mages of the 205th Company will be your guards for your time here at the headquarters."
"A pleasure, but I want to see the trenches," he plainly told them his simple request.
Otto realised something was up the moment the Mages winced in unison. As he looked back at the Spectre, he swore he saw her face quickly change from a frown of annoyance into a forced smile.
"Are you sure? It's much better if you stayed with field command."
"I have to raise the morale of the troops! I can't do that effectively when I'm hiding in the back far from the suffering Germanian men!"
Once more a frown formed on the girl's face, "Not with that cap. If you're taking a stroll on the trenches you're going to wear a helmet. Corporal Stein, get His Royal Highness the cleanest helmet you can find."
As he watches the Corporal run off, Otto conceded, "Very well, I'm not unreasonable. Marianne did tell me to stay safe."
"That's good advice. Try not to make yourself look too important, Your Highness. We don't want any Francois snipers getting any funny ideas," continued the Ace before she looked at her fellow Second Lieutenant, "Visha, thanks again for assisting with the aerial lookout."
"No problem, I'm always ready to help," replied the Brunette.
Otto watched in awe as four of the Mages took off, fading into the sky. Looking back to the ground he saw the Corporal running back with a less than new helmet.
"You cannot be serious."
Tanya couldn't help but feel nervous. Every vein in her body was screaming that this was a bad idea. She didn't need to be told what would happen if she messed this up. Forget going to War College, she'd be rotting away in a cell forever.
She looked up at the sky searching for any movement from Francois Mages. Confident that there were no looming threats at the moment, she looked back at the Crown Prince as he tried his hardest not to wave at the soldiers in the trenches. How could someone be so nonchalant about the looming threat upon his life?
Just as she was about to resume her lookout, she heard the unmistakable sound of metal grinding against metal. In a single moment, the Crown Prince had fallen backwards.
Jumping into action and bringing up her shield, Tanya alerted her fellow Mages, "Possible Sniper! High alert!"
As Frida moved in to cover her back, she checked on the dazed Prince. There was a shallow mark on his helmet, a bullet had grazed it. The Crown Prince was unharmed, if a bit muddy.
Tanya breathed a sigh of relief, it was a good thing she asked him to wear a helmet.
"I think I should go home," croaked the Royal, wiping the mud off his face.
"Frida, support his other side. We're going to fly as fast as we can to field command," ordered Tanya, taking charge of the situation.
"Roger. Excuse me, Your Highness," replied the Corporal as she put herself under his right arm.
"We'll be taking off now, Your Highness," Tanya informed.
Being in the air was something Otto had always wanted, perhaps he would have enjoyed the flight more if his mind wasn't in such disarray.
There were too many thoughts in his mind. Marianne was right, he shouldn't have come here, it was far too dangerous. Despite her somewhat rude manner of speech, the Spectre had saved his life, he should reward her for getting him to wear a helmet.
But first, he should definitely go back to Berun.
Imperial Palace, Berun, Capital of Germania
6th April 1924
Marianne gripped the letter in anger, it was a simple task. All the idiot had to do was take one shot and he failed! With that chance wasted it was going to be a long time before Otto let his guard down again.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince has arrived," announced her retainer.
With a sigh, the Princess threw the letter into the fireplace and headed for the hall to 'welcome' her brother home. She hadn't even made it through the doorway before Otto embraced her.
"Otto, you're not a child anymore. You're old enough to get married already," exclaimed Marianne exasperatedly while she tried to slide out of the hug.
Hugging his sister tighter, the Crown Prince began to tear up, "Marianne, I should have listened to you. You were right, you're always right."
"Oh dear, what happened?" she asked, feigning ignorance.
As Otto recounted every detail of his unfortunate trip to the Western Front, Marianne couldn't help but be impressed by the talented Mage that had foiled her plan.
Perhaps she should reward the girl with a trip off the frontlines so that the mistake wouldn't be repeated again.
Adriatic Sea
9th April 1924
While the Ostero-Ungarian ground troops were making progress against their foe through the south plains, the same could not be said for their naval counterparts.
The Ildoans had a much stronger naval presence than the Osterreich-Ungar. With their more numerous fleet, they blockaded the Southern Dragon's fleets within the Adriatic.
The Ostero-Ungarians soon found the entirety of their maritime trade broken. There was no other way to call the situation besides a crisis. With their lagging Naval innovation, it was thanks to their recent acquisitions from Germania and Jugoslavija that they could even protect their coasts.
However, they did have one advantage over their Western neighbour, they had superior Mages. Advancements in Magical Combat Doctrine had greatly improved their effectiveness. The Naval Mages outclassed their enemies with their advanced training and technological edge. Their outward successes gave the Ostero-Ungarian Navy hope that the blockade would be breached soon. Even more so now that high command has sent their problem solvers over.
"These orders are preposterous. They cannot be expecting me to singlehandedly overturn the advantage the Regia Marina has. I know I may have done some ridiculous things in the past, but we're still humans," lamented Marcel as he rested his head on the table.
Petra looked at the map of the Adriatic, frowning as much as her superior, "That's certainly true. Naval Warfare is very different from regular Warfare, Mages can't sink an entire warship after all, we still need to rely on our own ships for those. If only we could just win the War by taking Roma."
Suddenly, Marcel sat up, "What was that last part?"
"If only we could win the War by taking Roma?" answered the confused Noble woman.
"You are a genius!" shouted Marcel as he gave Petra a hug, "I know what to do next!"
"Major, that's very unprofessional of you," frowned Katya, her face darker than he had ever seen.
"Haha, sorry," laughed Marcel.
"Please don't do that ever again," sighed Petra as she looked at the fuming redhead.
Western Front, Germania
19th April 1924
"Company, I have bad news. The 205th is expected to reinforce the 403rd Mage Company while they push back against two Francois Mage Companies. However we have additionally been tasked with assisting the Artillery spotters of their attached unit," briefed Lieutenant Schwarzkopf, before looking at Tanya, "Do you think you can lead a platoon to clear out the Francois Company?"
"We have a chance, but we must strike fast and hard. Inexperienced Mages should stay out of this fight."
"Best to leave your Wingman behind then," replied the Company Commander, taking her advice seriously.
Seeing her Wingman take a deep breath, Tanya understood just how much Frida wanted to join her.
"Frida has kept up with me since the beginning. She is by no means inexperienced, I just need two more Mages."
"Since you believe in her so much, I won't stop you. I'll have Sergeant Schones' squad to fill in the missing slots."
Tanya turned to Frida, who was still speechless with joy, "I promised I'll always have your back didn't I? You didn't think I'd leave you behind after we've come so far together, did you?
"Damn it! We had them in retreat, why are we the ones being pushed back now?" cursed a Francois Mage.
"Shut up and keep firing! We need to take out the Artillery spotters to cover the infantry retreat!" replied the second.
"I can't spot the last one! Authorise the use of explosive Formulas! We can't take them out like this!"
"Enemy Mana signatures incoming! Four Mages from two O'clock! Prepare for interception fire!"
"The Observer Mages are under fire from two companies, that's a bit much for a single platoon to deal with isn't it?" worried the veteran Sergeant.
"Perhaps if we used conventional means, but I've been taught by the very best mage at asymmetrical warfare," replied the Lieutenant.
"We really are following in the footsteps of the Wraith, huh."
"Prepare for a cloaked entry, each pair will engage three platoons, one at a time. Make sure you waste no time in ending them! Some of the Observer Mages are still alive and putting up a fight, we have to make their efforts worthwhile!
"They're almost on us, but I don't see them! Is the sensor faulty?"
"Shoot in that direction, make sure there's nothing!"
The volley of four rounds missed the pair of split Germanian Mages, failing to reveal them. In retaliation, the Lieutenant and her Corporal sniped one Francois Mage each, halving their strength swiftly.
"Merdé! Where are they?"
The Republican Mages' blind shots had no effect. Like before, retaliatory fire ended their struggle. Only then did their enemies reveal themselves.
"That's the first platoon, Corporal! Reload and prepare for the second strike!" ordered Lieutenant Degurechaff as she uncloaked.
"Roger, Commander!"
Frida didn't exactly like flying all these high risk missions, but even she could tell that flying with Lieutenant Degurechaff had taught her much. Frida found that in the few short months she had become a capable Mage of her own. Her shots became steadier and her manoeuvres even swifter. Being the Wingman of an Ace of Aces had made her a competent Mage.
Swift attacks from the flank tore the second enemy platoon to shreds. It was a good thing that Francois Mages weren't as well trained as Legadonian ones, even if they were more numerous. They made great training targets for testing out aerial strategies.
The pair prepared to cloak for their final engagement, only to be interrupted by a transmission.
"This is Artillery Observer Second Lieutenant William Walter confirming that the Francois Mage Platoon on my position has been neutralised."
Artillery Observer Second Lieutenant Walter paused for a breath as he cut the communications. He couldn't quite believe that he had survived that ordeal.
His classes with Lecturer von Bastion had quite literally saved his life. What could have been certain death turned into an intense workout.
William knew that he had made the right choice with learning from the worst Mage in Germanian history.
As the last enemy Mage fled, Lieutenant Serebryakova looked at the Artillery beat down on the remainder of the fleeing Republican troops, each volley becoming more and more accurate. Lieutenant Degurechaff had succeeded.
A single Platoon taking out two companies, successfully completing their mission. She really was like the Wraith, turning over seemingly impossible odds.
20th April 1924
"Here's your cup of coffee, Tanya," smiled Visha as she took a seat next to her fellow Platoon Commander.
"Thanks, your coffee always makes me feel alive after a mission," the younger Mage smiled back.
"That was one hell of a battle too. It was honestly quite a close call, the Wraith must have taught you well."
"Well, he's probably the best teacher to be teaching Magic. He had so many spells no one else could teach."
"That reminds me of the additional courses I took back in the Officer Cadet School. I wonder what happened to-" replied Visha before being interrupted by a third Mage sitting down.
"Thanks for the backup yesterday, Degurechaff. I didn't realise you were serving as a Combat Mage, much less as an Ace! I was expecting you to join me as a fellow Artillery Spotter, instead I hear about you saving the Crown Prince!" laughed William as he patted the girl on the back.
"William, you're acquainted with Tanya?" asked Visha.
"Of course! She's a fellow 'special courser' after all! We're basically fellow students since all three of us were taught by the Wraith!"
Visha sat in shocked silence as the final piece clicked into place. Lecturer von Bastion was the Wraith.
"I didn't know that. I hope he doesn't hold a grudge about his eye."
Adriatic Sea
22nd April 1924
"Phantom 09, report! What is the condition of the priority target?"
"Southwest of your current position, Major. The RN Roma is currently disengaging from combat with the First Fleet. It has taken damage to its armaments. No danger of sinking just yet," answered Nikolai, living up to his title of Reconnaissance Mage.
Being an older generation ship, the Roma that would have normally been kept within the confines of the port had been brought out to maintain control over the Adriatic while the newer ships were tied up at the blockade. A mistake the Ildoans will regret for years to come.
"Wraith and Banshee Companies, on me! We have a ship to board! Wisp Company, disable any enemy vessel that gets close, whatever method you wish." ordered Marcel, "And Reaper Company, take out those Marine Mages! Don't let them get close to the ship!"
The Ildoan Captain cursed his luck, those cowardly Francois have failed him. They left his fleet to fend for themselves when the Ostero-Ungarians Mages showed up. An alliance of convenience indeed, a few damaged Republican vessels and they were nowhere to be seen.
He knew the so-called Phantoms had boarded his ship. All he could do was listen to reports, with little power to stop them, they swiftly overpowered the crew and overcame the internal defences, even preventing all attempts to scuttle the ship. They wanted it captured intact and it was only a matter of time before they made it to the bridge.
Marcel let off a shot from his shotgun, the metal pellets clearing up the guards between him and his final objective.
Signalling to his detachment, he readied them, "Last door! Impact spell! Prepare for breaching! Three! Two! One!"
The Major let off a spell enhanced kick. First came the groan of metal being bent out of shape, then gunshots as the Phantoms took out the last defenders.
"Bonjour, Captain. Do we have your surrender?" asked Major von Bastion.
Republican Army Command, Francois Republic
22nd April 1924
The Rhine had turned into a graveyard of Francois Aces. Heroes turned into fertiliser. Unknown Germanian Mages becoming Aces after feasting on their remains. An unacceptable situation that had to be changed through careful planning.
"We will be reviewing what footage of the 106th and 107th Reconnaissance Mage Companies took before their untimely end," explained the presenter, "The two companies were tasked with suppressing Observation Mages when they were intercepted."
He continued, "Unfortunately, from the few orbs we managed to recover, most of them showed quite literally nothing."
"What do you mean by that?" demanded a staff member.
"They were killed before they saw their enemy. Very likely a group of long distance sniping elites. One of which is probably the Ace of Aces known as the Devil of Rhine."
"What information do we have on this Mage? Weren't the 106th and 107th trained specifically to take down Germanian Aces?" questioned another member of the staff.
"An unknown mage, we haven't found any conclusive data to identify them. Their engagement method seems to be to engage our Mages from long distance, too far to spot."
"What do you mean by 'seems'? You mean to say we don't actually know how our Mages are being killed at all?"
"According to Field Intelligence, all we know is that once in a while even their regular Mages can beat our Aces. Additionally, there are the unverifiable rumours of invisible Mages. We have nothing else, we're fighting blind."
"Just what have the Germanians been up to?"
Port Pula, Osterreich-Ungar
24th April 1924
Capturing the ship named after the Capital of Ildoa had done wonders in bolstering the morale of the Ostero-Ungarian Navy, and crushed that of their Ildoan counterpart.
Refitting the ship with new armaments and flying the Imperial naval flag high, yet refusing to rename the Vessel would further draw the ire of the Ildoans. An unforgivable insult, a mark on the pride of Ildoa itself. A message that the foolish Kingdom had bitten off more than they could chew trying to fight an Empire.
Unfortunately, it would be several more months before the SMS Roma would be ready to sail. The engineers would be working overtime just to fix the internal damage the boarding party created.
Germanian Military Personnel Department
29th April 1924
Lieutenant Colonel von Lehrgen's hands shook as he saw the documents in his hands. It was Lieutenant Degurechaff again.
He had tried so hard to keep her away from the battlefield, but time and time again she had gotten the approval to move up by people much more important than him. First was Doctor von Brandt, authorising her for a field test of some prototype.
This time? This time she had gotten three recommendations to War College. First was her superior, something Lehrgen expected. But the other two? Never in a million years. By saving Crown Prince Otto, she had impressed both him and Princess Marianne.
There was nothing he could do to stop her from climbing up even further. The Devil had made too much of a name for herself.
Western Front, Germania
3rd May 1924
Tanya smiled to herself. It was finally here, her acceptance letter into War College. Her abilities had pulled her through.
After her extensive tests, it could be concluded that the DT-80 was just an ordinary Orb, at the cutting edge of technology, but untouched by Being X. No longer needed for the time being, she had it sent back to Dr von Brandt for further testing.
Saying goodbye to Visha had been hard. The Lieutenant had no interest in joining her for further education. If only they had more time together. Tanya was going to miss her coffee sorely. Perhaps she would join the 203rd when the time came.
Frida on the other hand? She was excited to say goodbye, clutching her acceptance letter to the Officer Cadet Course. It was nice to see that she was so excited to increase her potential.
One more step into the future as foretold. She had a General to meet and an Empire to save.
What a chapter where absolutely nothing special happened huh? No Royal shenanigans, no funny Naval business. Just plain quiet war. What do you think about this boring chapter?
It's fine if you wish to discuss older chapter in this thread, but you're always invited to do so in my discord server instead.
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Good chapter. I will say though, you had me nervous as hell when I saw that comment about just taking Rome. I thought Marcel was going to do another one of pre-reset Tanya's infamous acts which would would have further diminished her future actions even more. Thankfully, you were describing the ship.
Tisaku
Head Chief Thinkomancer
inexperienced,
lay
gained
noble
morale
brunette
as the artillery
battle
teacher
Phantoms
ordinary
general
Thanks for the heads up. I have fixed the parts that were definitely mistakes.
I have opted not to change the Military terms and titles.
But perhaps next time make an introduction first. It was very jarring to suddenly have my work marked in red like it was schoolwork.
- Pronouns
- They/Them/She/Her
Was that "Friday" meant to be "Frida"?DualWing said:
Oh, was there a chapter there? It must have been so terribly dull I just glazed straight through the whole thing.DualWing said:
But yeah, more seriously, I enjoyed it.
I hate Autocorrect. Seriously it's a name, why does it need to be changed.
- Pronouns
- They/Them/She/Her
Ahh. Sorry about that.
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- Pronouns
- They/Them/She/Her
Right, that was the sympathetic sort of "sorry", not the apologetic. ...This isn't the first time I've thought it might be useful for clarity if those were different words. I mean, once can use a word other than "sorry", but "sorry" tends to be quick and simple to phrase around.
...Though I also do tend to overapologize, so...
...Anyway. You're welcome. And thanks for writing, by the way.