Well, personally I just prefer the divide and conquer route over stealth. More can go wrong if the plan requires sneaking into an enemy encampment to kill them. Plus I'm fairly sure that our shield can only reliably cover ourselves and I don't think Mio can cover more than one other person at best. Short of having people stack up behind the shields, which just means they have a smaller target.
Toll of Sweat, Ammo and Magic(KantaiCollection/StrikeWitches/GirlUndPanzer WWII AU)
- Thread starter sgtbaker47
- Start date
- Crossover
[X] Forward Group: We, Kerry, Clark, Mio, Tenryuu and Tatsuta
[X] Rear Group: Yoshika, Nishizumi's crew
[X] Forward Group approaches on foot and sneaks up close. Mio, Tenryuu and Tatsuta take point. We, Kerry and Clark will cover them with ranged attacks once the enemies raise the alarm. Magic users will switch to shielding duty once the enemy starts fighting back.
[X] Rear group stays with the jeep, and will engage only when the alarm is raised, in which case they will drive in and extract the forward group/provide covering fire. Yoshika will provide shielding for the vehicle.
[X] Rear Group: Yoshika, Nishizumi's crew
[X] Forward Group approaches on foot and sneaks up close. Mio, Tenryuu and Tatsuta take point. We, Kerry and Clark will cover them with ranged attacks once the enemies raise the alarm. Magic users will switch to shielding duty once the enemy starts fighting back.
[X] Rear group stays with the jeep, and will engage only when the alarm is raised, in which case they will drive in and extract the forward group/provide covering fire. Yoshika will provide shielding for the vehicle.
Don't think so. There was nothing about keeping magic secret.
- Location
- USA
Quest is on hiatus because of RL.
Chapter 2.3
- Location
- USA
Life has been, well yeah. No promises but here's an update. Also I'm gonna change the way skills work but that'll be another time. That and the title, gotta change that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sergeant." Kerry looks at you with a worried expression, knowing what's likely coming up. "We can take them with our forces. They're asleep right now, who knows when they'll wake up."
"I don't like it. I really don't like it." He says as he shakes his head. "But I know that if they do wake up it'll be bad. I'm assuming you got a plan."
You give him an affirmative look. "We have a Witch and ship girls, they take point, we cover, we ambush them. The girls on the jeeps can watch the flanks and extract us if we need to."
He stands up looking towards the ravine. "I want to check it out myself. See if we can really ambush them. Which hill would have the better view?"
"I was on the left hill, it's slightly higher than the one on the right but the north side faced off by rocks. I didn't go further since it would have made noise."
"Okay, we'll go on the right then, see what we see before going ahead. Major any objections?"
"I can't think of any. It sounds solid. You girls have any problems with the plan?" Major asks as she looks over at Tenryuu and Tatsuta who shake their heads.
Next Tenryuu looks at you and gives a eerie grin. "I don't mind showing off my skills and crushing some Abyss at the same time." She raises the M1919 with her right arm over her shoulder.
"Move out." Wordsworth takes the lead and sneaks towards the right hill while the others shadow behind him.
Greene taps your shoulder before whispering. "How many do you think we'll get? Or do you think they'll be more? Fuck man I can't wait to shoot more of those seaweeds." You slap his shoulder to get him to shut up.
On top of the east hill you see that you're much closer to the blue poles, maybe 20-30 feet away from the nearest one, not including the altitude difference. Luckily you don't see anymore.
Your Sergeant motions you and Clark over to his position behind a tree. "Arma, Greene. Get your grenades ready, we'll frag from that fallen log. Major." He waves at Mio to come over. "Deploy your squad as you see fit. Once you hear the explosion start opening up on any survivors. Go."
You and Clark sneak over to the log and prepare your 'pineapples' to be thrown. Kerry soon joins up and readies his. "Arma go for the furthest, Greene go for the closest, I'll get the middle. Then I want you guys to throw another wave before going back to your main. Ready?" You and Greene nod and prime the Mk IIs.
When you hear the pin being pulled, you do the same and throw your grenade at the farthest pole. You immediately grab your other Mk II and lob it at the general of the enemy. Once it's out you duck behind the dead tree and ready your Thompson. The explosions rings out and sends several small shock waves out, numbing your ears and body for a bit.
You peek over and unleash a barrage on the closest group, hearing the roar of .30-06 Machine guns from behind you and your squads weapons besides you. You can barely hear Greene's glee over the gunfire. "HAHAHA! GET SOME YOU FUCKS. FUCKING DIE!"
When your sub-machine gun inevitably stops firing, you quickly switch out the empty magazine with a full one. As you cock the the bolt you hear the Sarge cry out. "CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE!" Damn, you were just getting in the mood too. The sound of gunfire slowly die down from behind you.
Scanning the forest for movement, nothing catches your eye hence you rest your Thompson on the log. "Fuck was that it? I only fired off a mag." Greene says in displeasure. You turn to your right to see his frowning face, next to him Kerry reloading his smg.
"Do you see anything?" Sarge asks, preventing anymore whining from Greene. You survey the forest again to see dust and nothing else.
"No. Well those glowing things stopped being blue. So I'll count those as kills." Just as Clark speaks you feel your shield deploy in front of you. There's distant muzzle flashes to your 11 o'clock followed by bullets hitting your shield.
"MUZZLE FLASH 11!" You shout before opening with a burst of .45 ACP at the flashes. "Looks like you got your wish."
"America, know for granting wishes. LIGHT EM UP!" Greene shifts closer to you. "Hey gonna do Operation Black Shield."
The two of you start laughing as you pour fire at the general direction of the enemy. You hear the 5mm bullets fly and crack the air around you, some hitting your shield while other fly above you.
To be Continued...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Sergeant." Kerry looks at you with a worried expression, knowing what's likely coming up. "We can take them with our forces. They're asleep right now, who knows when they'll wake up."
"I don't like it. I really don't like it." He says as he shakes his head. "But I know that if they do wake up it'll be bad. I'm assuming you got a plan."
You give him an affirmative look. "We have a Witch and ship girls, they take point, we cover, we ambush them. The girls on the jeeps can watch the flanks and extract us if we need to."
He stands up looking towards the ravine. "I want to check it out myself. See if we can really ambush them. Which hill would have the better view?"
"I was on the left hill, it's slightly higher than the one on the right but the north side faced off by rocks. I didn't go further since it would have made noise."
"Okay, we'll go on the right then, see what we see before going ahead. Major any objections?"
"I can't think of any. It sounds solid. You girls have any problems with the plan?" Major asks as she looks over at Tenryuu and Tatsuta who shake their heads.
Next Tenryuu looks at you and gives a eerie grin. "I don't mind showing off my skills and crushing some Abyss at the same time." She raises the M1919 with her right arm over her shoulder.
"Move out." Wordsworth takes the lead and sneaks towards the right hill while the others shadow behind him.
Greene taps your shoulder before whispering. "How many do you think we'll get? Or do you think they'll be more? Fuck man I can't wait to shoot more of those seaweeds." You slap his shoulder to get him to shut up.
On top of the east hill you see that you're much closer to the blue poles, maybe 20-30 feet away from the nearest one, not including the altitude difference. Luckily you don't see anymore.
Your Sergeant motions you and Clark over to his position behind a tree. "Arma, Greene. Get your grenades ready, we'll frag from that fallen log. Major." He waves at Mio to come over. "Deploy your squad as you see fit. Once you hear the explosion start opening up on any survivors. Go."
You and Clark sneak over to the log and prepare your 'pineapples' to be thrown. Kerry soon joins up and readies his. "Arma go for the furthest, Greene go for the closest, I'll get the middle. Then I want you guys to throw another wave before going back to your main. Ready?" You and Greene nod and prime the Mk IIs.
When you hear the pin being pulled, you do the same and throw your grenade at the farthest pole. You immediately grab your other Mk II and lob it at the general of the enemy. Once it's out you duck behind the dead tree and ready your Thompson. The explosions rings out and sends several small shock waves out, numbing your ears and body for a bit.
You peek over and unleash a barrage on the closest group, hearing the roar of .30-06 Machine guns from behind you and your squads weapons besides you. You can barely hear Greene's glee over the gunfire. "HAHAHA! GET SOME YOU FUCKS. FUCKING DIE!"
When your sub-machine gun inevitably stops firing, you quickly switch out the empty magazine with a full one. As you cock the the bolt you hear the Sarge cry out. "CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE!" Damn, you were just getting in the mood too. The sound of gunfire slowly die down from behind you.
Scanning the forest for movement, nothing catches your eye hence you rest your Thompson on the log. "Fuck was that it? I only fired off a mag." Greene says in displeasure. You turn to your right to see his frowning face, next to him Kerry reloading his smg.
"Do you see anything?" Sarge asks, preventing anymore whining from Greene. You survey the forest again to see dust and nothing else.
"No. Well those glowing things stopped being blue. So I'll count those as kills." Just as Clark speaks you feel your shield deploy in front of you. There's distant muzzle flashes to your 11 o'clock followed by bullets hitting your shield.
"MUZZLE FLASH 11!" You shout before opening with a burst of .45 ACP at the flashes. "Looks like you got your wish."
"America, know for granting wishes. LIGHT EM UP!" Greene shifts closer to you. "Hey gonna do Operation Black Shield."
The two of you start laughing as you pour fire at the general direction of the enemy. You hear the 5mm bullets fly and crack the air around you, some hitting your shield while other fly above you.
To be Continued...
Chapter 2.4
- Location
- USA
Your Thompson clicks empty just as the enemy stops firing. As you reload you notice humanoid shades are moving closer.
"ENEMY CHARGE! FALL BACK!" Sarge yell out as he gets up and starts running up the hill. "HURRY UP!" He swing around and fires a burst before running again.
"Fuck." Greene says as you both get up and start tailing behind the Sergeant. Yet you manage to lose your balance over some loose dirt and tumble forward. "John what the fuck man?" Greene swing back and grabs your left arm, pulling you up with him uphill.
Once you're upright you fire your Tommy one handed at the oncoming charge. Looking in front of you see the famed blue shield that Witches display moving closer to you. You're blinded by the blue light but you can recognize Mio behind the shield charging downhill with sword in hand.
"What the fuck? Do you see this?" Greene says with a stupefied smile. You shake off his grip and pivot, adjusting yourself in a better stance before aiming your weapon and unloading a full magazine. It empties again and as you reload Mio is right next to you.
You quickly load the mag in and decide to follow the Major in her advance. From behind you can hear Greene start laughing during your run down the hill with Sakamoto. She either is oblivious to your presence or shows that she knows by shouting a war cry right next to you. You charge downhill firing several volleys, rapidly closing the gap between you and the assaulting group.
You are able to identify that the opposing force is only seven hostiles by the time you're in close quarters combat. You easily shred two hostiles before Sakamoto rams a poor fuck into the air with her shield and cleaves it as it falls. You aim at another one closing in, your weapon only recoils for two rounds injuring the tall monster. Reaching for your left holster you quick draw and fire the Browning Hi-power to finish off the dying abyss.
You sling your empty SMG and take out your Colt .45 to provide cover for the Major. You fire at two abyss as they try to approach you from your left. Mio easily dispatches the remaining enemies on her side, you can barely see that she's sliced in half. You scan around for any more enemies but no a thing comes out from around you or any abnormal sounds are made.
You go back to back against Mio who doesn't seem to mind. The silence and scanning continue to for what feels like hours, but two minutes have passed when you hear chirping of birds from above.
"SOUND OFF SQUAD!" You hear the echo of Wordsworth from the hill behind you.
"GREENE UP!"
"ARMA UP! AREA CLEAR!" You yell out in partial relief, but you know the fact that you'll have to do a kill sweep and tally the dead enemies.
Feeling a tap on your should you see Major Sakamoto grinning at you. "I have to admit I didn't expect you to rush with me." You feel a hard slap on your back. "You're definitely commendable." Your back aches slightly from her physical praise but you give her smile before going off to where the enemy came from. "Hey where are you going?"
"Clean up." You start firing your pistols at the corpses, mentally counting how many shots you fire and reloading when you need to. From behind there's chatter but is drowned out by you shots. Systematically you find all of the hostiles in the low light, confirming that they're no longer among the living. Actually you don't know if they are indeed alive, so you suppose non functioning would be more correct.
You finish the sweep using 30 rounds of 9mm and .45 ACP. When you return you can see the jeep's lights from on top of the hill. Climbing back up you hear talking from everyone.
"Roger that." You catch Kerry saying followed by the sound of the headset being hung. Once at the top, he looks at you from his passenger seat with a tired expression. "Captain knows, National Guards knows and will deal with their remains. Now we go back to base. Everyone get a seat."
"Sounds great. We return home as heroes." Greene says as he occupies the driver seat of Kerry's vehicle. The Major's team also board the vehicle along with Miyafuji. "So what's the kill count?" He asks smiling.
"30." You say while you head over to your jeep. You see that Nishizumi's crew have held all the seats.
The driver, Reizei if you recall her last name, looks at you tiredly. "Can I go to sleep?" You reply with a nod in which she hastily jump to the back end of the jeep and lands on top of the occupants.
They girls speak in Japanese but from their tone you figure they're complaining. Ignoring them you seat yourself on the driver's seat and drive behind Greene's jeep.
The drive the girls remain silent, you see that they're unsure on what's okay to talk about.
[] Talk to them, ask them how they felt being close to the fight
[] Remain silent
[] Write-in subject to talk about
Once you reach the base what will you do. It'll be about ~6 AM so you have to be up by 7, giving you two options, sleep however will use all the time.
[] Sleep on the jeep
[] Converse with the Girls that remain awake
- [] Topic write-in
[] Train with Sakamoto (Melee)(Magic if you spill it)
[] Read Sun Tzu's Art of War
[] Rearm/Change your weapon/upgrade (Choose only 1)
-[] Thompson upgrade>able to use 50 round drum magazines + compensator
-[] M1 Garand
-[] M1 Carbine
-[] M1919A4 Browning
-[] M1919 Browning 'stinger' version
"ENEMY CHARGE! FALL BACK!" Sarge yell out as he gets up and starts running up the hill. "HURRY UP!" He swing around and fires a burst before running again.
"Fuck." Greene says as you both get up and start tailing behind the Sergeant. Yet you manage to lose your balance over some loose dirt and tumble forward. "John what the fuck man?" Greene swing back and grabs your left arm, pulling you up with him uphill.
Once you're upright you fire your Tommy one handed at the oncoming charge. Looking in front of you see the famed blue shield that Witches display moving closer to you. You're blinded by the blue light but you can recognize Mio behind the shield charging downhill with sword in hand.
"What the fuck? Do you see this?" Greene says with a stupefied smile. You shake off his grip and pivot, adjusting yourself in a better stance before aiming your weapon and unloading a full magazine. It empties again and as you reload Mio is right next to you.
You quickly load the mag in and decide to follow the Major in her advance. From behind you can hear Greene start laughing during your run down the hill with Sakamoto. She either is oblivious to your presence or shows that she knows by shouting a war cry right next to you. You charge downhill firing several volleys, rapidly closing the gap between you and the assaulting group.
You are able to identify that the opposing force is only seven hostiles by the time you're in close quarters combat. You easily shred two hostiles before Sakamoto rams a poor fuck into the air with her shield and cleaves it as it falls. You aim at another one closing in, your weapon only recoils for two rounds injuring the tall monster. Reaching for your left holster you quick draw and fire the Browning Hi-power to finish off the dying abyss.
You sling your empty SMG and take out your Colt .45 to provide cover for the Major. You fire at two abyss as they try to approach you from your left. Mio easily dispatches the remaining enemies on her side, you can barely see that she's sliced in half. You scan around for any more enemies but no a thing comes out from around you or any abnormal sounds are made.
You go back to back against Mio who doesn't seem to mind. The silence and scanning continue to for what feels like hours, but two minutes have passed when you hear chirping of birds from above.
"SOUND OFF SQUAD!" You hear the echo of Wordsworth from the hill behind you.
"GREENE UP!"
"ARMA UP! AREA CLEAR!" You yell out in partial relief, but you know the fact that you'll have to do a kill sweep and tally the dead enemies.
Feeling a tap on your should you see Major Sakamoto grinning at you. "I have to admit I didn't expect you to rush with me." You feel a hard slap on your back. "You're definitely commendable." Your back aches slightly from her physical praise but you give her smile before going off to where the enemy came from. "Hey where are you going?"
"Clean up." You start firing your pistols at the corpses, mentally counting how many shots you fire and reloading when you need to. From behind there's chatter but is drowned out by you shots. Systematically you find all of the hostiles in the low light, confirming that they're no longer among the living. Actually you don't know if they are indeed alive, so you suppose non functioning would be more correct.
You finish the sweep using 30 rounds of 9mm and .45 ACP. When you return you can see the jeep's lights from on top of the hill. Climbing back up you hear talking from everyone.
"Roger that." You catch Kerry saying followed by the sound of the headset being hung. Once at the top, he looks at you from his passenger seat with a tired expression. "Captain knows, National Guards knows and will deal with their remains. Now we go back to base. Everyone get a seat."
"Sounds great. We return home as heroes." Greene says as he occupies the driver seat of Kerry's vehicle. The Major's team also board the vehicle along with Miyafuji. "So what's the kill count?" He asks smiling.
"30." You say while you head over to your jeep. You see that Nishizumi's crew have held all the seats.
The driver, Reizei if you recall her last name, looks at you tiredly. "Can I go to sleep?" You reply with a nod in which she hastily jump to the back end of the jeep and lands on top of the occupants.
They girls speak in Japanese but from their tone you figure they're complaining. Ignoring them you seat yourself on the driver's seat and drive behind Greene's jeep.
The drive the girls remain silent, you see that they're unsure on what's okay to talk about.
[] Talk to them, ask them how they felt being close to the fight
[] Remain silent
[] Write-in subject to talk about
Once you reach the base what will you do. It'll be about ~6 AM so you have to be up by 7, giving you two options, sleep however will use all the time.
[] Sleep on the jeep
[] Converse with the Girls that remain awake
- [] Topic write-in
[] Train with Sakamoto (Melee)(Magic if you spill it)
[] Read Sun Tzu's Art of War
[] Rearm/Change your weapon/upgrade (Choose only 1)
-[] Thompson upgrade>able to use 50 round drum magazines + compensator
-[] M1 Garand
-[] M1 Carbine
-[] M1919A4 Browning
-[] M1919 Browning 'stinger' version
So I want to talk to them, but don't know what about. I don't feel that we should talk about the fight, but I also want to head off any potential issues that may arise from their first actual combat. Even if they didn't actually do much.
[X] Talk to them, ask them how they felt being close to the fight
Also, I really want a sniper rifle. Or at least slap a scope on a rifle.
[X] Modify M1 Garand into M1C Garand
I have no knowledge of guns beyond basic operation, so I don't even know if that is feasible.
[X] Train with Sakamoto (Magic)
From the sounds of it, at least some of the others know of our magic. As such, we might as well get some training from an actual witch instead of bumbling through it ourselves.
[X] Talk to them, ask them how they felt being close to the fight
Also, I really want a sniper rifle. Or at least slap a scope on a rifle.
[X] Modify M1 Garand into M1C Garand
I have no knowledge of guns beyond basic operation, so I don't even know if that is feasible.
[X] Train with Sakamoto (Magic)
From the sounds of it, at least some of the others know of our magic. As such, we might as well get some training from an actual witch instead of bumbling through it ourselves.
[X] Talk to them, ask them how they felt being close to the fight
[X] Train with Sakamoto (Magic)
[X] Read Sun Tzu's Art of War
[X] Train with Sakamoto (Magic)
[X] Read Sun Tzu's Art of War
- Location
- USA
[X] Talk to them, ask them how they felt being close to the fight
[X] Train with Sakamoto (Magic)
1 [X] Modify M1 Garand into M1C Garand
vs.
2 [X] Read Sun Tzu's Art of War
Had 1 vote on SB for M1 so I'm counting that, so dice roll what do you think.
[X] Train with Sakamoto (Magic)
1 [X] Modify M1 Garand into M1C Garand
vs.
2 [X] Read Sun Tzu's Art of War
Had 1 vote on SB for M1 so I'm counting that, so dice roll what do you think.
Chapter 2 End
- Location
- USA
"Girls." You turn to see their heads look up towards you, their faces showing uncertainty. "It's okay to talk you know. How are you all feeling?" From the corner of your eye you notice Hana has her hand raised. "Go ahead."
"Um, is it normal to be...excited? I guess happy? I'm unsure of the feeling one should have when fighting." She asks softly while fidgeting in her seat.
"Scared is normal right?" From behind Saori inquires with worry. "Being afraid is okay right?"
"Um Mr. Browning. What's it like for you?" Akiyama voices her question. You peek to see Miho who notices your gaze. She responds by shaking her head with a pained smile.
You clear your throat before speaking to them. "In combat, there's ... a lot of emotions. Usually. That'll go through you, such as what you said. What matters is that you're in control of your emotion or at least it doesn't affect your performance. Like for example if we're were to get shot at right now, I would do everything in my power to make sure that you all survive. Even though I could be afraid, I'd prioritize you girls first and foremost. Akiyama. For your question I would answer that it depends. My thoughts have changed after a few times I've fought, so a present, I try not to think about myself." You scratch the back of your head, it's complicated really, thoughts on combat.
[] You think of others during the fight, the importance of comrades.
[] You try to keep a lid on your emotions, not letting them go out of control.
[] A small part of you enjoys the killing, the vengeance, the sensory overload.
A big snore reaches your ears from the jeep's rear. "Ah sorry about Mako, she's usually snores when she sleeps." You hear Saori apologize on behalf of her sleeping friend.
A smile appear momentarily then disappears off your face. "Don't worry about it. In fact you girls should get what rest while you can."
"I honestly think that'd be difficult, but I'll try. Thank you." Hana does a bow, or close enough, and closes her eyes. You hear some more shuffling from behind you then faintly some light breathing and snores. It's reasonable to assume that they got hit by an adrenaline rush from being close to the battle. They probably were never close to death before.
As you drive in silence you look over to Miho and see that she's awake but looking down at her lap. "I'm sorry."
You hear her faint apology but decided not to comment. You keep driving in silence back to base.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parking your jeep next to the Sergeant's, you look over Miho to see that she's asleep. You get off and go over Kerry. You see the passengers are dismounting.
"Hey John, I'm gonna go deal the the Captain with Greene. That means you're free till we go to the harbor. I'm not sure what's gonna happen when the higher ups get word but fuck it we're alive. See ya in an hour." You wave as the jeep drives away.
"Aw they're asleep. Lucky them. Why don't they have blankets on them?" You turn around to see Tenryuu looking over the resting girls. "Tatsuta let's go get some." They move off for the main barracks, leaving you with Major Sakamoto, who's carrying a sleeping Yoshika.
You make sure that the key's out of the jeep before speaking to Mio. "Major you can let Miyafuji sleep on the driver's seat." You move out of the way for the Major to set down the sleeping Witch.
"Appreciate it."
"Nothing really." You lean on the hood of the Willy, Mio joins you soon after. You and Sakamoto remain quiet for some time, gazing upward at the disappearing stars. Eventually you decide to speak out. "Major can I...tell you something?"
"Of course. After fighting together we should be able to trust one another. As long as it's isn't illegal, what's on your mind?"
"I, uh, can use magic." You rub your nose anxiously.
"You mean like magic tricks?"
"No, like Witch magic. That kind of magic." You look over to her to see that her face has confusion written all over her face.
"Are you a girl?"
"No."
"Are you a Witch?"
"No. I don't think there's a naming convention for males to be called Witches. I guess Magus, or Wizard might describe me." You then feel something poke your chest a few times.
"Hmm, your chest feels like a man's." You feel some more poking on your arms. Her pokes are pretty strong, enough that you rather not get more.
"You're teasing me aren't you." You say in a annoyed tone.
She flashes a playful smile. "Yeah, I saw your shield when we were going downhill. It's different than Witches, that much I know." You see she ponders for a moment before speaking more. "Does your military know?"
"Yes they do. I asked about male magic users and the only information I got was that they're rare but generally weaker than Witches and I suppose ship girls. The only known males are in China, South America, and me." You rub your eyes, thinking about the general lack of info relating to you. "I was wondering if you could help me with my magic. I barely know anything on the subject."
"Ho, Interesting. I would think that finding a male practitioner would be an important find. I would assume that you could use Strikers and fairy equipment. Have you tried any of them?"
"Not really. I mean I grew up suppressing my magic ability since there was no teachers. So I avoided anything related to them until recently, well since you girls came."
"I understand. As a Witch is my duty to help out. You're an interesting person, however you better prepare yourself." Mio grabs your hand for a handshake. Her grip on your hand is strong which is contrast to her soft skin. Regardless you shake on it.
The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him - Sun Tzu
"Um, is it normal to be...excited? I guess happy? I'm unsure of the feeling one should have when fighting." She asks softly while fidgeting in her seat.
"Scared is normal right?" From behind Saori inquires with worry. "Being afraid is okay right?"
"Um Mr. Browning. What's it like for you?" Akiyama voices her question. You peek to see Miho who notices your gaze. She responds by shaking her head with a pained smile.
You clear your throat before speaking to them. "In combat, there's ... a lot of emotions. Usually. That'll go through you, such as what you said. What matters is that you're in control of your emotion or at least it doesn't affect your performance. Like for example if we're were to get shot at right now, I would do everything in my power to make sure that you all survive. Even though I could be afraid, I'd prioritize you girls first and foremost. Akiyama. For your question I would answer that it depends. My thoughts have changed after a few times I've fought, so a present, I try not to think about myself." You scratch the back of your head, it's complicated really, thoughts on combat.
[] You think of others during the fight, the importance of comrades.
[] You try to keep a lid on your emotions, not letting them go out of control.
[] A small part of you enjoys the killing, the vengeance, the sensory overload.
A big snore reaches your ears from the jeep's rear. "Ah sorry about Mako, she's usually snores when she sleeps." You hear Saori apologize on behalf of her sleeping friend.
A smile appear momentarily then disappears off your face. "Don't worry about it. In fact you girls should get what rest while you can."
"I honestly think that'd be difficult, but I'll try. Thank you." Hana does a bow, or close enough, and closes her eyes. You hear some more shuffling from behind you then faintly some light breathing and snores. It's reasonable to assume that they got hit by an adrenaline rush from being close to the battle. They probably were never close to death before.
As you drive in silence you look over to Miho and see that she's awake but looking down at her lap. "I'm sorry."
You hear her faint apology but decided not to comment. You keep driving in silence back to base.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parking your jeep next to the Sergeant's, you look over Miho to see that she's asleep. You get off and go over Kerry. You see the passengers are dismounting.
"Hey John, I'm gonna go deal the the Captain with Greene. That means you're free till we go to the harbor. I'm not sure what's gonna happen when the higher ups get word but fuck it we're alive. See ya in an hour." You wave as the jeep drives away.
"Aw they're asleep. Lucky them. Why don't they have blankets on them?" You turn around to see Tenryuu looking over the resting girls. "Tatsuta let's go get some." They move off for the main barracks, leaving you with Major Sakamoto, who's carrying a sleeping Yoshika.
You make sure that the key's out of the jeep before speaking to Mio. "Major you can let Miyafuji sleep on the driver's seat." You move out of the way for the Major to set down the sleeping Witch.
"Appreciate it."
"Nothing really." You lean on the hood of the Willy, Mio joins you soon after. You and Sakamoto remain quiet for some time, gazing upward at the disappearing stars. Eventually you decide to speak out. "Major can I...tell you something?"
"Of course. After fighting together we should be able to trust one another. As long as it's isn't illegal, what's on your mind?"
"I, uh, can use magic." You rub your nose anxiously.
"You mean like magic tricks?"
"No, like Witch magic. That kind of magic." You look over to her to see that her face has confusion written all over her face.
"Are you a girl?"
"No."
"Are you a Witch?"
"No. I don't think there's a naming convention for males to be called Witches. I guess Magus, or Wizard might describe me." You then feel something poke your chest a few times.
"Hmm, your chest feels like a man's." You feel some more poking on your arms. Her pokes are pretty strong, enough that you rather not get more.
"You're teasing me aren't you." You say in a annoyed tone.
She flashes a playful smile. "Yeah, I saw your shield when we were going downhill. It's different than Witches, that much I know." You see she ponders for a moment before speaking more. "Does your military know?"
"Yes they do. I asked about male magic users and the only information I got was that they're rare but generally weaker than Witches and I suppose ship girls. The only known males are in China, South America, and me." You rub your eyes, thinking about the general lack of info relating to you. "I was wondering if you could help me with my magic. I barely know anything on the subject."
"Ho, Interesting. I would think that finding a male practitioner would be an important find. I would assume that you could use Strikers and fairy equipment. Have you tried any of them?"
"Not really. I mean I grew up suppressing my magic ability since there was no teachers. So I avoided anything related to them until recently, well since you girls came."
"I understand. As a Witch is my duty to help out. You're an interesting person, however you better prepare yourself." Mio grabs your hand for a handshake. Her grip on your hand is strong which is contrast to her soft skin. Regardless you shake on it.
The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him - Sun Tzu
[X] You think of others during the fight, the importance of comrades.
True magic
True magic
So normally I would go for the first option. It's kind of the iconic main character thing you know? Plus its just something a good person would do in my opinion. However, from what little I know of the other characters, I think that we should be a bit more goal oriented and someone that keeps a level head when the shit hits the fan. Being able to carry on despite what may happen will probably help more than being overly emotional. Not that that means we can't still focus on friends outside of battle, but a Serious Mode for combat seems fitting. At least, that's my opinion.
[X] You try to keep a lid on your emotions, not letting them go out of control.
[X] You try to keep a lid on your emotions, not letting them go out of control.
Character Update
- Location
- USA
Title Change, let me know what you think. Now for you...
Character Sheet Update:
John Arma Browning +2 Skill points
☒Guns: 26 ☒Explosives: 26 ☒Melee: 20 ☒Unarmed: 25.8
☒Medicine: 35 ☒Mechanical: 40 ☒Science: 40 ☒Sneak: 31
☒Survival: 30 ☒Speech: 37 ☒Driver: 25.5 ☒Pilot: 5
☒Marksman: 65.5 ☒Tactics/Strategy: 57.9 ☒Logistics: 78 ☒Magic: 9.8
[] Save
[] Use, be specific
Character Sheet Update:
John Arma Browning +2 Skill points
☒Guns: 26 ☒Explosives: 26 ☒Melee: 20 ☒Unarmed: 25.8
☒Medicine: 35 ☒Mechanical: 40 ☒Science: 40 ☒Sneak: 31
☒Survival: 30 ☒Speech: 37 ☒Driver: 25.5 ☒Pilot: 5
☒Marksman: 65.5 ☒Tactics/Strategy: 57.9 ☒Logistics: 78 ☒Magic: 9.8
[] Save
[] Use, be specific
Yeah, but we also have a readily available magic teacher that can train us. While The Art of War does help Logistics, I figure that eventually it won't be able to raise it any more. Besides, even I know that Logistics is insanely important for any large scale military campaign. Every little bit we can do to ensure that everyone in the squad remains topped up on ammo helps. Imagine how easy that fight would have been if Tatsuta and Tenryuu had even one shell each. Granted, I doubt we have quite that much pull, but I still think being able to ensure proper supplies is superior to the absolute basic knowledge of Magic that 11.9 would net us.
- Location
- USA
Splitting the difference.
Log->79, Magic->10.8
[X] You think of others during the fight, the importance of comrades. (+1 vote on SB)
Log->79, Magic->10.8
[X] You think of others during the fight, the importance of comrades. (+1 vote on SB)
Chapter 3.0
- Location
- USA
It's 7:26 AM. The morning sun raises slowly as you sit on the hood of your vehicle alongside the Major and the ships. Tatsuta's still teasing Tenryuu over what happened during your magic session or something else since they were speaking their native tongue. Nothing serious, just that you found out that sufficient force exerted on your shield can move it which resulted in Tenryuu pushing with so much force that she lost balance when the barrier gave way. Unfortunately for you the shield was next to you, pushing you down. Luckily it was strong enough to hold Tenryuu so she didn't fall on top of you.
Afterwords she apologized and has been avoiding speaking with you, not that you don't understand. The only other notable event was while reading Sun Tzu, Mio got very close to read it with you. Too close for your comfort zone but you weren't too trouble by it. Did made you wonder if she gets this close to her subordinates.
The others were still sleeping as you share your crackers with Sakamoto. As you finish your last cracker you hear several motors heading towards you. Figuring now would be the best time to wake up the dozing girls, you knock the hood of your jeep. "Wake up girls." You stand up and clapping your hands over the girls. "Time to get up."
They start stirring up and rubbing their eyes, except Mako unsurprisingly. You use your right arm and gently shake the blanket off of Yoshika. She opens her right eye and for a few moments just stares at you blankly. When her other eye opens you see something pop over her head, noting that it looks like animal ears.
You don't get a good look once she lunges at you, her head hits your chest and her arms wrap around your neck. You hear a "Mhm" as she hugs you.
"Morning." Looking down you use your right hand to pet her head. While your hand goes over the ears you feel like they're the same as petting a dog or cat's fur, it's soft and warm. You see that she reacts by rubbing her head closer to your chest and wagging her tail. Wait they can do that?
You notice the Major comes over and taps Yoshika on the shoulder. "Good morning Miyafuji. You must have slept well." She turns to face Mio before looking up at you. Her face slowly goes from a blissful smile to a fluster dismay and she stops her hold on you. You give one last pat before turning to see that the Tenryuu and Tatsuta are dealing with the others.
You orient at the approaching engine sounds to see two unarmed jeeps manned by your squad. Kerry drives his jeep as close as he can next to yours and pulls something out from his pockets. "Girls, Arma, listen up. We're due for Savannah soon to meet with the Japanese expeditionary fleet. You ladies will be riding with us, Browning I need to to take a half-track from the motor pool to move some supplies. Paper works already done so you just need get the thing loaded." He tosses a key chain over to you. "We'll be going ahead. Look for the Carrier Akagi, that's where we'll on stand by."
Once all the girls dismount your jeep, you give a thumbs up and prepare to drive off when Greene drops something on your lap. You see a brown paper bag, looking inside there's some plain donuts.
You feel a smile surface just as you ignite the engines and roll off towards the motor pool. You reach your destination quickly, noticing that there's very little traffic overall. Even the motor pool is quieter than usual, the lack of welding and people talking is odd in comparison to what you're use to.
You see the abnormal amount of empty space that's unused which helped you identify the only half-track (M5) among the trucks and jeeps. Parking next to it you get out to check the vehicle, seeing that it's carrying ammo and medical crates.
You jump in the driver's seat and check to make sure everything is functional. During your check up you spot some papers on the passenger seat. You look them over to see that they're the manifest and orders to leave the camp.
You pocket the papers in a safe spot, when it's done you put the key in the ignition and drive off to the Savannah ship yard.
TBC
Afterwords she apologized and has been avoiding speaking with you, not that you don't understand. The only other notable event was while reading Sun Tzu, Mio got very close to read it with you. Too close for your comfort zone but you weren't too trouble by it. Did made you wonder if she gets this close to her subordinates.
The others were still sleeping as you share your crackers with Sakamoto. As you finish your last cracker you hear several motors heading towards you. Figuring now would be the best time to wake up the dozing girls, you knock the hood of your jeep. "Wake up girls." You stand up and clapping your hands over the girls. "Time to get up."
They start stirring up and rubbing their eyes, except Mako unsurprisingly. You use your right arm and gently shake the blanket off of Yoshika. She opens her right eye and for a few moments just stares at you blankly. When her other eye opens you see something pop over her head, noting that it looks like animal ears.
You don't get a good look once she lunges at you, her head hits your chest and her arms wrap around your neck. You hear a "Mhm" as she hugs you.
"Morning." Looking down you use your right hand to pet her head. While your hand goes over the ears you feel like they're the same as petting a dog or cat's fur, it's soft and warm. You see that she reacts by rubbing her head closer to your chest and wagging her tail. Wait they can do that?
You notice the Major comes over and taps Yoshika on the shoulder. "Good morning Miyafuji. You must have slept well." She turns to face Mio before looking up at you. Her face slowly goes from a blissful smile to a fluster dismay and she stops her hold on you. You give one last pat before turning to see that the Tenryuu and Tatsuta are dealing with the others.
You orient at the approaching engine sounds to see two unarmed jeeps manned by your squad. Kerry drives his jeep as close as he can next to yours and pulls something out from his pockets. "Girls, Arma, listen up. We're due for Savannah soon to meet with the Japanese expeditionary fleet. You ladies will be riding with us, Browning I need to to take a half-track from the motor pool to move some supplies. Paper works already done so you just need get the thing loaded." He tosses a key chain over to you. "We'll be going ahead. Look for the Carrier Akagi, that's where we'll on stand by."
Once all the girls dismount your jeep, you give a thumbs up and prepare to drive off when Greene drops something on your lap. You see a brown paper bag, looking inside there's some plain donuts.
You feel a smile surface just as you ignite the engines and roll off towards the motor pool. You reach your destination quickly, noticing that there's very little traffic overall. Even the motor pool is quieter than usual, the lack of welding and people talking is odd in comparison to what you're use to.
You see the abnormal amount of empty space that's unused which helped you identify the only half-track (M5) among the trucks and jeeps. Parking next to it you get out to check the vehicle, seeing that it's carrying ammo and medical crates.
You jump in the driver's seat and check to make sure everything is functional. During your check up you spot some papers on the passenger seat. You look them over to see that they're the manifest and orders to leave the camp.
You pocket the papers in a safe spot, when it's done you put the key in the ignition and drive off to the Savannah ship yard.
TBC
Last edited:
Kind of like a puppy.
Chapter 3.1
- Location
- USA
The roads to the city were fairly clear. You pass by civilians and military vehicles heading the opposite direction, a few of the civies salute as you drive by. It isn't until you reach the city proper than you run into a traffic jam with pedestrians milling about. You beat the steering wheel as time stretch from 5 minutes into 20.
From what you overhear from the chatter of the locals, they seem to know that foreign ships are arriving and seem to be delighted to see the rumored ships girls. Carefree, lucky them."Fuck this bullshit." You bitterly whisper as you continue to smack the wheel. "Why traffic."
You reach for your orders, might as well read them than go crazy by doing nothing. Reading over it, blah blah blah, the interesting points. Seems the Imperial Japanese Expeditionary Unit consists of the carrier Akagi, 2 light cruisers and 3 destroyers. Interesting that they're not named but it goes on to say that they're to be resupplied then go on to Europe. The cargo your M5 is carrying is part of the lend-lease program to be shipped along with some other equipment. The Akagi is to be docked on Elba island while the other ships are docked else where.
You fold the paper and pocket them again. Once tucked you grab a doughnut and munch on it, attempting to ease your irritation. Eventually you reach your destination, albeit another 15 minutes give or take.
Passing the gate you easily see the carrier from your position. It seems to have just recently docked as the cranes are being moved around.
During your drive closer, you see your squad along with Yoshika and Nishizumi's crew chilling by their jeep. You find a parking spot across from them and dismount. Greene sees you and waves. "Man of the hour. You're almost late."
"Yeah well traffic." You shrug your shoulders then give nod the others. Greene smiles and shakes his head.
"Same. You're lucky that you didn't have to deal with the Captain."
You couldn't hold your sign at the mention of your superior officer. "What he did he volunteer us this time."
"Good news, nothing..." You see your Sergeant give Greene a light bump on his shoulder to quiet him. "Yeah yeah."
The girls look a bit confused as the three of you remain quiet. Miyafuji looks a bit confused as she comes up to you. "Um, is there a problem?"
You and the others shake your heads in unison. Kerry does a cough before speaking. "Miyafuji, we have a dynamic relationship in our unit. What I mean is that there are certain things that we do, rules to follow, jobs to do and so forth. Now when we have an etiquette that we follow in regards to dealing with stress." The girls now have puzzled faces as Wordsworth makes up some complicated bullshit.
Against your better judgement you decided to speak. "What he means is that there are topics that shouldn't be discussed outside. Like now." The girls immediately get the message and a few of them attempt to bow but you wave them off. "So what do we do now Sergeant?"
"We're on security. So that means don't get in the way and don't start any fires. Oh and from the local chatter says once the Akagi is docked we can take a tour. I'm personally not going to since I don't like ships but you can if you want. And before I forget." He pulls out a binocular and hands it to you. "They finally gave us an pair for everyone."
"Yeah for a three man squad." Greene interjects. "Get a look over there." You take a look with the binocs to see the several high ranking individuals, Navy and Army, besides the Major, Tenryuu and Tasuta. There's also a pair of different girls in uniforms you think are German, no wait you're certain since the have the iron cross patches. On the carrier you see a group of girls and what appears to be the Captain getting ready to greet the others.
Well there's the welcoming party. What to do.
[] Take a look on the Akagi
[] Use your binoculars and scope the area, stay with the others
[] Patrol the Harbor
[] Write-in
From what you overhear from the chatter of the locals, they seem to know that foreign ships are arriving and seem to be delighted to see the rumored ships girls. Carefree, lucky them."Fuck this bullshit." You bitterly whisper as you continue to smack the wheel. "Why traffic."
You reach for your orders, might as well read them than go crazy by doing nothing. Reading over it, blah blah blah, the interesting points. Seems the Imperial Japanese Expeditionary Unit consists of the carrier Akagi, 2 light cruisers and 3 destroyers. Interesting that they're not named but it goes on to say that they're to be resupplied then go on to Europe. The cargo your M5 is carrying is part of the lend-lease program to be shipped along with some other equipment. The Akagi is to be docked on Elba island while the other ships are docked else where.
You fold the paper and pocket them again. Once tucked you grab a doughnut and munch on it, attempting to ease your irritation. Eventually you reach your destination, albeit another 15 minutes give or take.
Passing the gate you easily see the carrier from your position. It seems to have just recently docked as the cranes are being moved around.
During your drive closer, you see your squad along with Yoshika and Nishizumi's crew chilling by their jeep. You find a parking spot across from them and dismount. Greene sees you and waves. "Man of the hour. You're almost late."
"Yeah well traffic." You shrug your shoulders then give nod the others. Greene smiles and shakes his head.
"Same. You're lucky that you didn't have to deal with the Captain."
You couldn't hold your sign at the mention of your superior officer. "What he did he volunteer us this time."
"Good news, nothing..." You see your Sergeant give Greene a light bump on his shoulder to quiet him. "Yeah yeah."
The girls look a bit confused as the three of you remain quiet. Miyafuji looks a bit confused as she comes up to you. "Um, is there a problem?"
You and the others shake your heads in unison. Kerry does a cough before speaking. "Miyafuji, we have a dynamic relationship in our unit. What I mean is that there are certain things that we do, rules to follow, jobs to do and so forth. Now when we have an etiquette that we follow in regards to dealing with stress." The girls now have puzzled faces as Wordsworth makes up some complicated bullshit.
Against your better judgement you decided to speak. "What he means is that there are topics that shouldn't be discussed outside. Like now." The girls immediately get the message and a few of them attempt to bow but you wave them off. "So what do we do now Sergeant?"
"We're on security. So that means don't get in the way and don't start any fires. Oh and from the local chatter says once the Akagi is docked we can take a tour. I'm personally not going to since I don't like ships but you can if you want. And before I forget." He pulls out a binocular and hands it to you. "They finally gave us an pair for everyone."
"Yeah for a three man squad." Greene interjects. "Get a look over there." You take a look with the binocs to see the several high ranking individuals, Navy and Army, besides the Major, Tenryuu and Tasuta. There's also a pair of different girls in uniforms you think are German, no wait you're certain since the have the iron cross patches. On the carrier you see a group of girls and what appears to be the Captain getting ready to greet the others.
[] Take a look on the Akagi
[] Use your binoculars and scope the area, stay with the others
[] Patrol the Harbor
[] Write-in