Welcome to Your New Hell
1924
Zugspitze Training Grounds
Alpen Mountains, Imperial Territory
The first day of training was hellish.
High altitude acclimation and individual aerial maneuvers were the name of the game. Every moment since they’d arrived was spent on figuring out their limitations. Learning just how little they could do with their current selves was demoralizing to say the least.
The Devil of the Rhine had truly earned her fierce reputation. It showed in her treatment of the recruits. Each mage entered their rooms mana-depleted and tired to the bone. Just how a hard day’s work should be.
Still, it wasn’t that bad. Yet. The day was only hell-ish.
0600 hours came far too early. Before they knew it, the recruits were all awake and ready back at the training grounds, also known as ‘Checkpoint One’. Far away from their relatively comfy accommodations, and very far away from anyone that might hear their screaming.
“Alright, listen up maggots! Yesterday’s warmup the only easy day you’re going to get! I needed to get a feel for each and every one of you recruits’ individual abilities. Think of it as your orientation day.” Captain Degurechaff stood in front of the 47 most promising recruits from the Regional Armies. The large crate under her feet her gave the captain a great view over the group.
“Your actual training starts now.”
Now, the real Hell would begin.
As the person there who knew Tanya the longest, Second Lieutenant Serebryakov could only sigh.
“I figured this would happen.” She muttered.
Captain Degurechaff had always preferred the learn by experience path to teaching, throwing Viktoriya into as many firefights as she safely could during her first week on the Rhine Front. It had worked of course, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t majorly sucked. This coming month would likely be the same or worse.
The mage next to her, First Lieutenant Weiss if she recalled correctly, gave her a questioning look.
“Figured what would happen?”
Viktoriya glanced at him. “You’ll see. Just make sure your barrier spells are ready.”
“Huh?”
Tanya continued speaking up front, “Now, I am not without mercy. I have acquired some tools for you. The ultimate creation of civilization for military use.”
Hopping off the crate, she formed a mage blade over her hand and broke off the top. A swift kick toppled the crate entirely, and several shovels quickly tumbled out.
“This is the shovel. Your new best friend. Used for a variety of purposes in war, including cutting rope, bashing in skulls, and digging trenches. Lots of trenches. I hope you all like digging trenches, because if not this is going to suck for you. Speaking of which!”
Captain Degurechaff’s face adopted a fearsome grin. Viktoriya shuddered. Not entirely out of fear.
“Second Lieutenant Serebryakov was my wingman on the Rhine Front, so she should already be aware of this. Everyone else, listen up! Trenches are often a great defense against artillery and mage strikes. Sometimes. Regardless, a properly dug entrenchment can be the difference between life and death. So start digging!”
The recruits looked around in confusion. Dig? For what?
Tanya sighed.
“When your superior officer tells you to do something, you do it! Even if it doesn’t make sense at the time. Hesitance will only get you killed on the battlefield.” She shook her head. “I suppose you all need some motivation then! How about this? The nearby Imperial Artillery Unit has graciously agreed to assist in your training. In approximately 600 seconds, the incredibly accurate artillery technicians will be firing on this exact spot. I don’t expect them to miss. But before that, how about a demonstration?”
A short radio call from Captain Degurechaff saw a barrage of shells flying their way. The recruits panicked, but Tanya didn’t even bother turning around.
“In this joint exercise assisted by the Imperial Artillery…”
Tanya raised her hand. Her eyes glowed golden, a ring of mana forming above her palm. The glow flashed as a dozen thin optical spells darted outwards from the ring. Each spell took the most optimal path, piercing through numerous artillery shells and exploding them far from where they could do damage. The shells that weren’t destroyed by a spell ended up caught in the explosions of others that were. In just a few seconds, every last shell from the bombardment had been eliminated.
“…you will have a wonderful time practicing real-time spell-to-shell defense.”
Everyone, including Viktoriya, was in awe.
She destroyed them all in an instant! Dear God…
“If you want to survive the next 36 hours, it is my humble suggestion that you all start digging.”
“36 HOURS!!!” The collective cry rang out.
What happened next can best be described as a panicked scramble. Shovels were passed around and recruits quicky went to work. Meanwhile, Viktoriya sat comfortably in her hole, having grabbed a shovel the moment Tanya mentioned the word “artillery”. The others were less fortunate.
FLASH
“Oh, it looks like the artillery won’t be firing in 600.” Captain Degurechaff lowered her rifle, having shot up a flare spell. “They’ll actually be firing now. An honest mistake, really. Eh, but I’m sure you’ll all be fine. You’re all proper Imperial mages, aren’t you?”
Viktoriya’s had one last coherent thought before having to focus entirely on the oncoming artillery barrage.
Sarcasm and sadism shouldn’t be attractive, but… Oh God, am I a masochist?
-=-
The words from the White Silver following the barrage were not comforting.
“After two hours of rest, you will all begin your march for Checkpoint Two.” Tanya looked around, noting the dark circles and dead looks on her recruits’ faces. Good. They needed to be pushed hardest now, so any future conflicts would seem easy by comparison. Anyone who made it past this next stage would be unbreakable.
“Now, I know you are all tired and deprived of mana. As I said before, I am not without mercy. If at any point one of you wishes to quit, simply walk up to me, and say, ‘I am not a proper Imperial mage, and I cannot complete your training’. Then, you will be allowed to leave and return to your former position in whichever Regional Army you came from.” A few of the weaker-willed recruits sighed quietly in relief.
“However.”
That relief evaporated.
“For each recruit that quits, the workload on every remaining recruit will increase. Your abandoned duties will become their responsibility. If you leave your comrades behind, they will be forced to pick up your slack. War allows no such mercy as quitting. I am not war. However, if after hearing all of that, you still make the decision to quit and leave your work for others to take care of… you will be returned to your original post, like I said. And while you standby idly at your original post, pray. Pray desperately, that you, a quitter and a pathetic excuse for an aerial mage, never see me or the comrades that you abandoned ever again. That is all.”
She was cutting. Ruthless. No feelings were spared as she spoke her opinion on anyone who might dare quit. And yet…
A fire had been lit in each and every recruit’s chest.
What followed was a month that could only be described in two words: Absolute Hell. The 36 hours straight of spell-to-shell artillery defense was followed by a two-day hike through a mountain pass. Arriving at their destination was originally seen as a godsend. The Devil in the shape of a teenage girl that was their Captain soon disabused them of this notion.
After arrival, Captain Degurechaff gave them all an order to sleep. Most of the recruits simply passed out wherever there was space. Luckily, their destination, a warehouse known as ‘Checkpoint Two’, was relatively large.
By this point, the exhausted recruits were more than happy to sleep for a week. The White Silver had other ideas.
“Wake up!”
“Hey- what?”
“It’s time for counter-interrogation training!” Tanya clapped her hands together with a terrifyingly blank expression. “Now strip.”
“Strip?!”
“Strip.”
It was brutal. It was at this point that many of the recruits realized something. Captain Degurechaff’s moniker, ‘the Devil of the Rhine’, was a wholly inaccurate understatement. She was far beyond a Devil; it was more than likely the Devil himself would fear her.
Several 203rd members would later admit to repressing the memory entirely. The less said, the better. The only dignity afforded to the recruits was their underwear. In the Captain’s words:
“No one wants to see your tiny willies. Especially not me.”
At least they had that.
Even after all of that, all 47 recruits were still going. Exhausted. Weakened. Ready to collapse at any moment. But they were still there. There would be no quitting.
The remaining three weeks of training followed a similar pattern. Little sleep, long hikes, high-altitude endurance tests, you name it. Everything blended together in a conglomeration of Hell and exhaustion. Only one other incident was of any real note.
The avalanche.
One officer sprained their wrist. Another twisted his ankle. Also, Viktoriya fell off a cliff. You know, the works.
On the bright side, the part where Captain Degurechaff flew down and caught her in a bridal carry was nice. Viktoriya could have even made a joke like, “Heh, guess I’m falling for you, Captain.”
She didn’t. For one thing, Tanya was still in training officer mode. For another, Viktoriya just fell off a damn cliff. It was neither the time nor place. She definitely thought about it though.
To Tanya’s surprise, every single recruit made it through training. All 47 of them. She’d expected to lose at least one from the initial 36 hours of artillery, followed by the mind-numbing two-day hike, and topped off by the vicious self-esteem shattering disguised as counter-interrogation training. It was almost worrying. What kind of monsters had she created?
Anyone who could complete this last month could take on anything the world had to offer.
Exactly as Tanya planned.
-=-=-=-
One Month after Beginning Training, 1924
Zugspitze Training Grounds
Alpen Mountains, Imperial Territory
47 mages, 48 if you counted Tanya, now easily the best trained mage unit in the Empire, stood in their newly assigned company groups. Tanya gazed over her new subordinates with a proud smile.
Viktoriya stood strong alongside the First Company. Today was a day of new beginnings. Today was the day greatness was officially born. The greatness that was the Imperial 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion.
“Today, you are no longer maggots. You are all proper Imperial mages!”
“Yes Ma’am!”
“Wear that label with pride, my battalion. Serve your Fatherland to the best of your ability. Never disrespect the greatest nation on Earth by giving less than your best. If you wish to sully the Empire and all it has given you…”
Captain, no… Commander Degurechaff pointed threateningly at them.
“I’ll kick your ass! If your family has something to say about that, then I’ll kick your family’s ass! As your new commanding officer, any mistakes you make become my own. If need be, I’ll kick my own ass! Don’t test me! You are now the Empire’s best, so do your best not to drive your progenitor to despair!”
“Yes Ma’am!”
“Good.” A fierce grin split their new Commander’s face. “My battalion, we may die in the name of our country. This is unavoidable. However, remember that the Empire is forever! That means we will fight in its name forever! Our enemies shall never win! Glory to the Empire!”
“Glory to the Empire!”
“Now get some rest, my battalion. We begin the flight back to Berun at sunrise.” Tanya clasped her hands behind her back. “First Lieutenant Weiss, Second Lieutenant Serebryakov, I need to speak with you. Everyone else, go somewhere else. Dismissed!”
-=-
Tanya’s cabin was much nicer than the rest of her battalion’s accommodations. Perks of being the Head Commander. It even had its own kitchen, rather than the communal ones shared among her subordinates.
Tanya and her two subordinates sat around the table in this kitchen. A fresh carafe of coffee sat invitingly on top.
“Did you need us for something, Captain?” Weiss asked somewhat nervously. “Also, could I get some coffee?”
“Sure, take a mug.” Tanya took a sip from her own mug, already filled to the brim. “And no, I didn’t need you two for anything. I just thought we could have a lovely chat over coffee despite needing to wake up early tomorrow morning.”
She placed her mug down with a sigh. “That was sarcasm, by the way.”
Weiss shot Viktoriya helpless look. The Second Lieutenant shrugged in response.
“You’ll get used to it.”
“Right…”
“I’ll just say what I’m thinking. Weiss, you have some issues as a mage. But so does everyone else my new battalion. I called you here because I believe you need less work than the others.”
“Thank you, Commander. I… think?”
“It was a compliment, yes. Hopefully, you’ll understand this next one a little easier.” Tanya leaned back in her chair. “I’m making you my Vice Commander.”
“Huh?” “Eh?” Weiss and Viktoriya exclaimed respectively.
“Wait, why me? Wouldn’t Second Lieutenant Serebryakov-”
“Yeah, why First Lieutenant Weiss? No offence, but I thought I-”
Tanya held up a hand.
“Enough. I’ll explain, so just quiet down.” She gestured at Weiss. “Of all the recruits not named Viktoriya Serebryakov, you were far and away the best. Your skills are nothing to sneeze at, despite doing nothing but twiddling your thumbs in the Eastern Theater. And you were one of two mages to pass my initial test, before General Zettour asked me to change my criteria. That’s why I chose you. Don’t let me down.”
Weiss nodded emphatically. “Of course, Ma’am! I’ll do my best!”
“As for you, Second Lieutenant.” Tanya shifted her gaze over to her suddenly nervous adjutant. “I have a couple answers to your question. One, you’re already my adjutant, which basically makes you my second voice. Two, Weiss is going to be leading the Second Company, and I want you as my wingman in the First Company. Three, the title of ‘Vice Commander’ comes with a lot of extra work that I don’t need you being saddled with.”
Tanya shrugged nonchalantly.
“You’d have less time to do your other duties, basically.” She picked her mug back up and drew from it deeply. “Aah, that is delicious. Anyway, as my former flight partner from the Rhine Front, I’d rather our time together not decrease. There aren’t enough beautiful mages around for me to throw one away to extra-paperwork hell.” The Commander winked at that. “Joke.”
“Oh… Oh! That makes sense.” Viktoriya flushed slightly. She wants me around more. This is perfect! Wait, did she call me beautiful? Thank you, God!
“Not that you aren’t beautiful either, First Lieutenant Weiss. It’s just, I think we both can agree that women happen to be prettier. In my opinion, at least.”
“Er, right, Commander.” Weiss would’ve sweatdropped had this been an anime.
A single thought crossed his mind then.
Are they going to be flirting with each other like this all the time?