Bathed in the Rhine
Late 1923
Imperial Army Temporary Depot
Rhine Front, Empire
“Second Lieutenant Degurechaff, reporting in as ordered, Commander.”
“At ease. Good to see you’re still in one piece Degurechaff. Not that I expected anything less.” Schwarkopf took off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair. “That was tough mission you two had to tackle. How’s the greenhorn holding up?”
It had been a week since the reassignment of Corporal Ballhof and Corporal Wist. Now they made themselves useful monitoring radio waves and playing cards in a pillbox. In other words, Tanya’s platoon no longer had any dead weight to compensate for. The loss of two mages from a platoon was still significant. Tanya and Viktoriya effectively had to do twice as much now. It was hard going and massively draining on all levels.
To the rookie, Corporal Serebryakov, that is. Tanya was a bit better off with her high mana efficiency. Still, even she was feeling the effects of the past week. Nothing a good night’s rest couldn’t cure.
Tanya gave the Commander a tired half-smirk. “Corporal Serebryakov is fairing much better than I anticipated. Her hesitance is diminishing, and her flight skills have already increased to an acceptable level. I’m almost ready to call her a proper Imperial mage at this point. She-”
The Second Lieutenant cut herself off with a yawn.
“-is nearing her limit, but that’s expected from a rookie. I already sent her off to get some rest.”
The Type 95 computation orb made battles so much easier for Tanya. Battles were much shorter when she used it, and that made it easier to get more rest. It could almost be considered the perfect tool for the drudging day-in day-out battles of the Rhine Front.
Almost.
There were… complications, involving the Type 95 that hadn’t come up in the three days Doctor Schugel had her testing it.
Serious complications. Let's just say she was very thankful to have snagged a spare single-core orb from Schugel's lab before her departure.
However, in terms of pure output and capability, it was an unmatched tool. One that no one else had access to. Tanya herself was no slouch in the mana department, so the combination of that with the Type 95 made her an extremely dangerous foe.
Understandably, any inexperienced flight mage that had to fly alongside such a powerful combination would exhaust themselves fairly quickly. Viktoriya just happened to be this inexperienced mage. Her skills were improving rapidly at the cost of her energy. As it was, the Corporal was barely holding out so far thanks to her own above average mana reserve.
“I’m glad to hear it. Make sure you get some shuteye as well. Who knows when we’ll get called to put out more fires?” He gave a sharp salute. “Dismissed.”
She saluted back. “Yes, Commander.”
-=-
“The Rhine Front is so disgusting…” Viktoriya sighed as she stepped into hers and Captain Degurechaff’s shared tent. As the only two women in the 205th Assault Mage Company, they had been assigned to bunk together. How thoughtful.
“I feel like every time I get back there’s a new blood stain or mud patch.”
She placed a small wooden tub – acquired during one of their raids on a Francois camp – of water near the center of the tent. It was just large enough to sit down in with the water reaching past the stomach, which was practically a luxury on the Rhine Front.
An overpowered heating spell made sure the water was nice and warm. Ah, the convenience of magical formulae.
“Unlike Captain Degurechaff. She somehow looks perfectly fine after every mission.”
Of course, she always looks fine no matter the time or place. So fine…
Viktoriya blinks.
Huh, where did that come from?
She shrugged, then shucked her overcoat.
I miss having an actual bath. I miss running water. At least with the Captain out speaking with Commander Schwarkopf, I should finally have some time to rinse off.
Viktoriya nods to herself.
I should have plenty of time to rinse off the worst of the muck and change into my spare uniform. I can just imagine how irritating this would be with cold water. Thank you once again, heating spell.
Usually after a mission, Tanya and First Lieutenant Schwarkopf would spend a decent chunk of time chatting and cracking jokes. More often than not at the Republic’s expense. They were such an easy target for both jokes and artillery. Which was a joke in and of itself.
And then the two would laugh and chuckle like old pals discussing their least favorite sports team. Banter between comrades made fighting a war much easier on the mental side of things. Morale was crucial after all.
Unfortunately, Corporal Serebryakov had miscalculated today. It was through no fault of her own. Sometimes these things just happened. You see, the Second Lieutenant Degurechaff had slept scarcely any over the past three days. She’d been powering through purely on ersatz coffee, adrenaline, and spite, but her own limit had finally been reached.
Deciding to abstain from banter thanks to a lack of energy that rivaled a corpse, she ended up heading straight back to their tent. Right to where the rookie Corporal Serebryakov currently was. Her rookie, who happened to be changing and preparing for a bath at that very moment.
Viktoriya had just finished rinsing off the worst of the muck and sweat when the sound of the tent flap opening alerted her. Someone was coming in. This was bad for several reasons, not the least of which being that she was currently lacking in the clothing department.
Second Lieutenant Degurechaff stepped through, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She yawned, a sharp pain making itself known in her sinuses.
“Jeez, I’m beat.” Tanya slowly opened her eyes as the headache became a mere dull throbbing. “I’m gonna hit the hay a bit earlier today Corporal- Huh?”
She blinked. Her eyes met those of Corporal Serebryakov. The first thing she noticed was her subordinate’s face. A look of shocked embarrassment met her gaze. She was facing away from the tent’s entrance, and her hair was up in a side high ponytail. It looked pretty good on her actually.
The next thing Tanya noticed…
Oh, Corporal Serebryakov was naked.
Wait, what?
Color rushed to both of their faces, though Viktoriya’s was far more noticeable. An impromptu staring contest went on for another moment as the Corporal flushed more and more red.
Tanya broke the standoff.
“Sorry about that Corporal!” She turned abruptly and started marching back out of the tent. “I’ll come back later!”
Viktoriya could only stare in muted shock. That was mortifying. There was practically no way she could get anymore embarrassed.
Almost as if hearing her thought and wishing to prove her wrong, the Second Lieutenant paused at the tent’s entrance. A slight smirk crossed her face, unseen to Viktoriya.
“Oh, one thing Corporal,” Tanya gave her a hearty a thumbs up without bothering to look back. “Nice ass.”
Correction, Viktoriya could get more embarrassed. So embarrassed Viktoriya was, she never stopped to realize Tanya couldn’t actually have seen her butt at any point, since she’d been sitting down in the tub the whole time.
Though, if anyone were to see her in such a state…
At least it was the captain.
-=-=-=-
Early Morning, Next Day, 1923
Imperial Army Temporary Depot
Rhine Front, Empire
Viktoriya stared blankly at the tent’s ceiling. Sleep came easily last night, but in the early hours, it eluded her. She didn’t even know why.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. The reason she woke up was due to an odd dream. Or was it a nightmare? She didn’t remember any of it; the only thing that remained was the fact that Second Lieutenant Degurechaff featured prominently. Somehow.
Probably nothing important or overtly homoerotic though.
This sucks. I wanted to sleep more.
A yelling that Viktoriya vaguely recognized as coming from Commander Schwarkopf garnered her attention.
“Emergency Assembly! 205th Assault Mage Company, form up at the sortie area in 5 minutes!”
This really sucks!
“Hurry Corporal Serebryakov.” Second Lieutenant Degurechaff sat up in her bed, already dressed.
“Er, right!”
The two quickly pulled on their boots, grabbed their rifles, and made their way out to the sortie area. They were the firefighters for the Empire out on the Rhine Front. It was time for them to go put out more fires.
-=-
As Tanya flew alongside her subordinate Corporal Serebryakov and the loaned Sergeant Sean plus his wingman, she could only lament her fate.
This sucks. I wanted to sleep more. I want an actual rest. I probably only got couple hours last night. Fucking nightmares.
“Rhine Control to Pixie Platoon. We have lost all contact with friendly artillery spotter, over.”
“This is Pixie 01. Control, we’re approaching the last registered location of friendly observer, over.”
“Pixie 01, understood. The enemy is approximated at two companies strong. You have permission to engage or withdraw at any point. Over.”
“Roger that. Out.”
Man, this really sucks. I was hoping to save the observer, but the enemy must be at least marginally competent this time. We’ll have to take them out to cover the artillery until a new observer can be dispatched.
Sergeant Sean broke Tanya from her musings, “Captain, should we meet back up with Commander Schwarkopf? The observer is already down. Two mage companies are probably too much for just a platoon to handle.”
Honestly, saying 4 mages could beat 24 was straight-up blasphemous to normal mage logic.
If that’s the case, then Second Lieutenant Degurechaff was definitely a heretic.
“No. We were too late to save the observer, but we can still stop the Republic mages that are threatening the artillery. They’re sitting ducks otherwise.” Tanya looked back with a smirk, “Besides, they’re just Francois swine. How tough can they be?”
The three flying beside her shared a nervous glance. Uh, toughness wasn’t really the issue here.
Tanya picked up on it immediately.
She sighed, unknowingly sending the fear of god down her comrades’ spines.
I suppose that would seem like a lot to the mages normally produced by the Empire. I might have an unfair advantage in the Type 95, but even without it these mages are probably just as sad as the Entente’s. Honestly, if I had the chance to train mages, they’d never shrink from such an easy fight. If only…
Well, regardless, I can understand their hesitance. And I don’t exactly want them getting killed.
“Okay, here’s what we’ll do then. I’ll take care of the furthest enemy company by myself. Shouldn’t be too difficult.” Even if she went overboard with the Type 95, the fight should end before anything to serious occurred. “You three can pick off members of the second company until I can come back and clean up. Or you can just destroy them all by yourself and make me proud. I’ll even give you a pat on the head for a job well done. Sound good?”
She didn’t wait for a response. “Excellent! Let’s go make some bacon.”
With that she took off in a burst of speed, far outstripping what any of the other three could reach.
“…She’s a bit terrifying, isn’t she?” Sergeant Sean commented to the others.
“That’s just how she is sometimes.” Viktoriya had a determined look set on her face, “But, I think she’s upset we didn’t make it in time to save the observer. No, actually I’m sure of it. We need to make sure we contribute.”
“She is a true patriot I’d say.” Sean’s wingman replies.
“A patriot indeed. And a model soldier.” Sean grinned, “Alright, let’s make sure she doesn’t have all the fun.”
““Right!””
-=-
“Ah, there they are.” Tanya’s expression became blank. “They took one of ours. Time to make these swine pay with their own blood.”
First, sow confusion in their ranks.
“Enemy mana signature approaching!” The Francois company’s Vice Commander shouted. He had an observation spell active, and what he was seeing had sweat beading up on his brow.
“Just one?” The Head Commander said, bemusement evident. “They must be getting cocky. Do Imperial mages really think they can be that arrogant? What’s the reading?”
The Vice Commander paled as he closely checked the mana signature, “It’s the Devil of the Rhine! Their altitude is level with ours at 6000. The speed is 275… 285… no, now it’s 300!”
“What? Where the hell-”
“There!” Another member of the company shouted. A small shape could be seen making a beeline for the group.
“Never mind.” The Commander muttered. “Everyone, open fire! Don’t let that cocky bastard live past what they deserve!”
Traveling in such a direct path was practically suicide for a mage. They would make their Imperial adversary pay in blood for such foolishness.
Except they wouldn’t. Several shots seemed to travel right through the target, with no effect. The Commander realized this a split second too late as the distant image of their adversary fizzled out of existence.
“It’s an illusion spell! Watch out for-”
“Guten tag, swine.” A female voice could be heard directly above them.
They looked up to a haunting sight. A blonde-haired Imperial mage, with a terrifyingly blank expression. Her eyes glowed a heated gold, matched by the glowing mana lining her rifle.
“Quick question. How good are Francois doctors?”
Next, thin them out.
Three shots rang out in succession. The Commander and two other unfortunate souls found themselves as an incredibly accurate reenactment of Marie Antoinette post-guillotine.
They will be missed. And they were turned into mist. A very bloody mist.
“Not that it really matters. Even Imperial doctors can’t fix that.” She gives a jaunty wave. “Later.”
At that, she jetted upwards. The Francois mages’ shock was quickly replaced with rage. How dare she be so nonchalant with them. She’d just killed their comrades!
“You bitch!” The Vice Commander yelled, fury in his eyes, “You’ll pay for that!”
He pursued her, the rest of the company following as well.
Right, like I’ve never heard that one before.
Tanya rolled her eyes, zigzagging in the air as she continued her ascent. Several shots attempted to trace her path; a few pinged uselessly against the back of her active barrier.
Nothing they could throw her way at the moment would do anything. She had the height advantage, and her opponent was already exhausted from their long-range reconnaissance mission. Their aim and energy levels were dropping rapidly as time went on. The thinning oxygen only worsened the effect.
Then, group them together, where they’re too tired to run. Destroy them in one fell swoop.
At a certain point, it was too much. The remaining members of the Francois company stopped. Tanya took the opportunity to disappear into a nearby cloud.
-=-
“We can’t go any higher, Vice Commander!” One of the mage’s managed to get out through his exhausted, laborious breathing.
“Dammit…” The Vice Commander tightened his grip on his rifle. “So, this is the power of the Devil of the Rhine. Was the Empire keeping a trump card this whole time?!”
A gust of wind blew by, ruffling his overcoat and slowly clearing away some of the cloud coverage. A flash of blonde caught his eye higher up.
“There!” They had to take her down now, or who knows what would happen. “Fire everything right now!”
Shots rang out, over half of them lacking any magic due to lack of reserve.
And once again, their enemy seemed to take no damage. As the illusion faded, the real Tanya was revealed farther up. Realization struck the Francois mages like a hammer.
“Another illusion spell, and at this altitude? Who the hell is she?”
“Attention, mages of the Francois Republic.”
“She’s broadcasting…?”
“You are trespassing on Imperial soil. I ask that you to surrender under the terms of the Worms Convention. If you refuse, you will be eliminated with extreme prejudice.”
An enormous mana signature could be felt building in the air. It was like nothing the Francois mages had ever seen before.
It took all of the Vice Commander’s years of experience to not piss himself right then.
We never stood a chance, did we?
-=-
International law is so annoying sometimes, but it’s better than getting court martialed. I’m almost glad to know they won’t surrender. You killed our artillery observer, so you get to pay for it. Blood for blood.
“Oh God…” The enemy company was frozen. This would be their end.
Tanya opened a radio spell targeting the local Rhine Control.
“Pixie 01 to Rhine Control. Requesting immediate sector-wide warning to all friendly units. Reason is: Immense Spatial Detonation to eliminate enemy mage company. Over.”
“This is Rhine Control, roger that Pixie 01. A warning will be issued to all friendly units in your sector. Over.”
With that out of the way, Tanya turned her attention back to her opponents. Though, perhaps ‘sitting ducks’ was a more apt description.
She closed the spell to Rhine Control and reactivated her open broadcast.
“Attention enemies of the Empire. You will now be eliminated. If any of you survive, please relay a message for me to your superiors: if you continue to attack the Empire, it will be your blood that is spilled in the clash. Goodbye.”
Spatial coordinates locked. Potential enemy escape paths calculated. Mana buildup complete. Activating Immense Spatial Detonation in 5, 4, 3, 2…
A flash of images assaults her senses, jolting her concentration. The headache lasted for a second. Luckily, her concentration on the spell hadn’t been affected. Would have been a bit embarrassing to blow up her on arm after all of that.
…1
BWOOOOOM
-=-
“Holy shit, I can feel the waves off of that from here.”
Viktoriya could only nod at Sergeant Sean’s remark, numb with shock as she was. It was one thing to know Captain Degurechaff was powerful. It was another thing entirely to experience that power for herself.
“I’m glad she’s with the Empire. I don’t know if we can ever lose with power like that.” Sean’s wingman commented. “Just make sure to never get on her bad side.”
“Agreed.”
Having attacked the closer of the two Francois companies, the three Imperial mages that had gone above and beyond and finished their battle early were left to watch in awe as a massive mana implosion rocked the distant sky. What made it even more impressive is the fact that Captain Degurechaff’s opponent had been a Named company. Which she hadn’t even been aware of at the time. The other three had to make do fighting a boring, normal mage company.
Viktoriya spoke up next, “We should meet back up with her and see if she needs anything. She might want help if there’s anyone left.”
“Help? With what? Some dust in her eyes?” Sean shot back in jest, the three taking off in the captain’s direction.
His wingman laughed, “Just because she’s not the tallest doesn’t mean she should be treated like a kid. That’s the White Silver we’re talking about!”
“Do you want to tell that joke to her yourself or should I?” Viktoriya raised a challenging eyebrow.
“Please don’t.”
Viktoriya and Sean shared a laugh at his expense, but Captain Degurechaff’s approaching figure quickly interrupted their amusement.
“Having fun, you three?” Tanya asked, as the four regrouped. “I can see you cleaned up the other company without my help. Good job with that, by the way.”
“We wouldn’t dream of letting you down after you placed so much faith in us, Captain.” A shit-eating grin crossed Sergeant Sean’s face, “Of course, that was really because of Corporal Serebryakov here. She took out half of the company all by herself.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Tanya raised an eyebrow
“Yep. Honestly, I’m a bit embarrassed I didn’t get more myself. But, well, how could I even begin to compete with such obvious drive?”
“Is that true, Corporal?” Tanya turned to her now embarrassed subordinate.
“Uh, yes it’s true Captain.” The Corporal taped her finger together, “It’s just, the thought of you working so hard… it made me want to live up to your expectations. I really wanted- Eh?”
Tanya interrupted Viktoriya with a pat on the head.
“I’m glad I was wrong about you, Corporal. You’ve really turned into a gem amongst the mud out here.”
“Eep!” the Corporal flushed.
“Now then, let’s meet back up with Commander Schwarkopf.” Tanya retracted her hand. “Maybe I can actually get some sleep once we’re done.”
“Cheers to that, Lieutenant.” Sergeant Sean blinked as something else became apparent. “Uh, Lieutenant, your nose is bleeding.”
“Is it?”
Viktoriya snapped out of her daze at that. “Are you alright, Lieutenant?”
Tanya waved her off, wiping the blood away with her other gloved hand. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Probably just threw around a bit too much power with that detonation earlier. It’ll go away soon enough.”
“If you say so…”
“I do.” She turned to face the general direction of where she expected Commander Schwarkopf and the rest of the 205th Company to be. “Let’s move.”
As the platoon flew off, Tanya’s headache flaired back up.
Ugh. I need a break. Or a sedative. I’ll take either if it’ll get me a good night’s sleep.