A/N: So, yeah. Improv author's note for a chapter that was supposed to go merged with the previous one. Well, for once the chapters started before the beginning's AN, so there's that. I also remember that in the Spanish version, this chapter was so lazy that I actually threw an 18+ kinda warning at the beginning just to put something funny. Well, I think the remake can save this chapter and make it a decent one. Whatever.

Disclaimer: "GATE: thus, the JSDF fought there!" and "Girls und Panzer" do not belong to me, all credit to their respective authors/owners. This is merely a fan-made project that seeks no monetary gain or compensation.

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Chapter 10
Fall of Gods

Schwarz Forest
D-Day +47
09:02 hours

"You know? I kinda like this new approach. They try to take us by surprise by attacking at weird hours, we shower them with lead and fire, then repeat. Yeah, reaaally like this one."

"Captain, with all due respect that accompanies the rank, please shut up."

"You are just jealous I'm right."

"You wish."

Petrakov dismissed Roth with a wave of his hand, taking another sip from his flask. The two Sevchenko brothers, meanwhile, were disposing of a body barely a few meters from them into a mass grave for dark elves.

"Any update?" Roth asked Hans instead, the unteroffizier nodding as he crossed his arms.

"We checked the bodies. They all had the yellow tree thing on them, most either as a medal or a headband or armband of sorts."

"So, the elf was telling the truth after all."

"So it seems." Hans rolled his neck around, releasing a couple satisfied groans at the cracking noise of his bones. "Nishizumi and Petrakov are not letting you live this down. Not after you almost gunned this elf like three times last night."

"In my defence, she was the one who showed up unannounced to an army camp in the middle of the night."

"Whatever. And speaking of the devil..."

Roth raised his glare, finding said Japanese girl approaching them. Miho looked no worse for wear after the scare of last night, even if she remained a little shaky.

"Roth, come with me. Khoakin wants to discuss the route with Yao."

"See ya later," Hans said, waving a goodbye as he made his way to the rest of the company. Roth and Miho made their way to the group made of Khoakin, Maho, and Yao, the latter surrounded by the rest and held at a barely dissimulated gunpoint by the Russian.

"We're here," Roth announced, taking the spot next to the Russian. Miho stepped up next to him, nodding to the rest. "Anything relevant so far?"

"Nyet. Haven't even started. Mind playing the bad cop again?"

"Do you really see us as nazis that much?"

"Only the cunt of Schmidt and whoever is in command and eats sauerkraut. And I don't even think he's a nazi, it's just fun to get on his nerves." Petrakov put away his gun as Roth held his vaguely in the direction of the elf, beckoning her to talk. "Right, let's get this over with. Yao, start speaking of- what the fuck?"

From the threes came a noise, the branches and leaves visibly trembling, as the students become alert and got into groups vigilant of their surroundings. Where the dark elves attacking again? It was way too soon since the last attack, but perhaps they were trying a change in strategy after their failures so far.

However, the worry proved unnecessary: after the sounds completed a full circle around the company, it suddenly stopped in a single three before a dark figure appeared from it into the sky, rolling on itself at incredible speeds before reaching the ground with a loud noise. The weapons trained on it, the figure proved to be a giant halberd almost three meters tall, with a smaller girl attached to it. With silky black hair and porcelain skin, the girl jumped from the giant weapon and joyfully made her way to the group surrounding the scared elf, who seemed just about to break into a sprint at the sight of the newcomer.

The officers, though, seemed far less amused at the sight.

"Rory," Greeted Khoakin, his lips turned into a thin line. "I thought you weren't coming back from exploring the route forward."

"I wasn't aided by the number of souls you sent to Emroy these last few days. The task of managing all those souls without relief was hard on itself, yet once again I'm proved to arrive late to the party of blood and flesh." She inspected her surroundings, narrowing her eyes at the mass grave on the sidelines. "And yet I see your attitude to the struggle is as cold as ever."

"Forgive us for taking the practical approach to night raids. We at least take the decency to bury them before we move on."

"Yet you remain ignorant of their names and purpose."

"Miss Mercury, sorry to butt in, but we were about to discuss the route going forward with miss Yao Ha Dushi over here. If you were so kind as to join us..." Roth's struggle with the local language was once again felt. While he had gotten better with time, anything more direct than layman speech was hard for him.

"With pleasure." Rory nodded, grabbing her halberd, and making her way to the group. Yao seemed terrified of her presence, something not missed by the Europeans. Rory walked among them, taking caressing the face of the prisoner with care and a calm attitude. "Oh, look at you. Such a pity a nice woman such as yourself has devoted herself to Hardy... sorry dear, she's not going to notice you. Could I interest you in following Emroy's teachings?"

Roth coughed on his fist, inducing Rory to take a couple steps back and give Yao a bit of breathing room.

"Ok then. As we were saying, miss Yao, could you please tell us more of the road ahead?" Petrakov took over once again as chief interrogator, standing in front of the dark elf. Rory stepped behind him, a small smile on her lips but sharp eyes trained on both the "prisoner" and the Russian.

The scene, while slightly curious, did more in terms of scaring Yao than in making her feel safe.

"Y-yes, of course. A-at your current speed, we should be exiting the dense part of the forest today, roughly before noon. After a small area of little vegetation, we'll get to a zone of gorges and caves, where you will meet with the chiefs of the dark elves. After that we will arrive at the mountains proper, where our objective is to head over to the tallest one, a silent volcano, where the beast made its nest not too long ago. Since we're already at some height, we should arrive there today, maybe a couple hours after noon if not sooner."

"That's great." Petrakov gestured to Huxley, nodding him close. "Radio Alnus, tell them to have our air support here by 1400 hours and ready to circle around for targets."

"I'll get it done. Update me on anything of importance."

"Sure will." Petrakov saw Huxley leave before turning to the elf once more. "Anything else you want to say? I don't remember any of us scheduling a meeting with your chiefs."

"We will go, though," came a reply from Miho. "It's important to decide a common strategy to deal with the dragon among all. We will need their help in reaching and locating the nest."

Khoakin glared at her, eyebrow raised, the Japanese girl returning it with decisiveness. Behind her, Maho levelled a cold stare towards him, and he could also feel Rory's suspicious eyes on his back. He searched for allies in Roth, yet the German made sure to make it seem like he was watching over the prisoner and not privy to the silent discussion.

Petrakov twitched his tongue.

"Whatever. We'll meet with the chiefs."

Miho lost no time in issuing orders.

"Roth, you and Huxley prepare the convoy to start moving at maximum speed. We should face no more incoming attacks from the forest tribes if we are leaving the trees behind soon. Yao will be our guide and will ride with me in the head vehicle. Any questions?"

It was clear from her stare that she wasn't accepting a "no" for an answer. Khoakin rolled his eyes and turned around, passing next to an amused Rory on his way back to his tank. The priestess nodded to the Japanese girl, approving of her protection of the mistreated dark elf, before making her way to her assigned vehicle. Her eyes, however, did not leave the shape of the Russian officer, watching him climb the metal beast that was his war chariot.

She had to keep him under vigilance for a while longer.

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50km east of Italica...

"Such a shame we left the Nishizumi company behind. Their heavy tanks may've come in handy."

"We were short on time. That agent almost discovered everything and I'm not going to sit waiting for the next spy disguised as a journalist to sneak in our command post looking for a secret operation ordered directly from higher ups in Europe. Besides, we're only proceeding with the first phase, the capture of Ligs."

"Ligs, huh... only bridge large enough to support our vehicles crossing the river in God knows how many kilometres around."

"And a garrison of legionnaires and magicians, to boot. How far are we?"

"We should arrive within the hour. Should I inform the rest?"

"Yes. Tell the officers we'll meet to discuss the attack on the hill to the southeast of the town."

Walther Fritz, aide-de-camp of Major Karl Schmidt, nodded as he went over to the radio and hailed the rest of the commanders. Schmidt checked his notes again: locals had briefed them on the town, saying it was an important point in the trade route of large merchandise, and while not a military stronghold, it was one of the most protected "road" guard posts. The commander of the plaza was a subordinate legate named Jiuns Ha Fersen, from what he heard, a capable commander assigned to a "backwater post" from angering his superior commander (superior who, he learned, was now buried among the mass graves outside Italica).

The cool weather signalled the upcoming autumn in Falmart, but it was still a pleasant experience to ride the vehicles with hatches and windows opened combined with the heat of the engines. The uneventful trip got to an end as they approached the town, prompting the commanding officers to dismount and climb the hill they agreed as a meeting point, carrying binoculars, maps, and photographs.

"There it is gentlemen. Ligs town in all its river-crossing glory," Karl greeted them, point below the hill to the distance with his hand.

"Yep, that's the bridge alright, there in the centre. Quite the impressive engineering I might add," commented Mauser, one of the captains. Captain Boomfield gave an affirmative grunt.

"Officer barracks, over there. The large building with the flags next to it should be for the troops," pointed Captain Meyer, passing his binoculars.

"Hold on. Does anyone see people on the streets aside of soldiers? Civilians, I mean. And are those... barricades?"

At the words of Louis, the group swept the entire city with their binoculars, searching for any civilian to be found. However, the only thing they spotted was troops, either building defences in the streets, eating, or simply minding their own business. The bridge, specially, was cut-off by the soldiers, with two barricades in it and defences on both sides.

"What the hell..."

"They knew we were coming. But how?" Asked Meyer. Schmidt answered with a grunt.

"Surely the magicians had something to do with it. Besides, I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that, after Italica fell, Ligs would be among the next objectives."

"Look at the bright side," intervened Louis, lowering his binoculars. "They apparently cleared the city of civilians for us. Any collateral of worry is to not hit the bridge with arty."

"That means we are free to bomb this place to kingdom come."

"And raze it to the ground."

"We know nothing about magicians, maybe we should dismount..."

"Just abuse radios and call a bombardment of anything that moves. We aren't playing with this."

"Just another town in Falmart to destroyed. We're getting kinda good at this, people."

"Get your troops ready," Schmidt finally declared, interrupting the discussion of the captains. Wild grins appeared of their faces as they prepared for what promised to be an interesting battle. "You've seen the terrain; you know your men. We attack in ten."

"Jawohl!"

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Intersection between the Schwarz Forest and Roldom Valley

Fortunately for the column, they did indeed not face any dark elves in the last patch of densely populated forest, soon finding themselves in the area where the trees and rocks of the upcoming Roldom Valley met. A half-track went as the column rested, returning half an hour later with a report on the terrain: the valley was almost pure rocks and long falls, and most vehicles would have issues traversing its narrow roads. Miho decided to ask for local guides from the chiefs to the dismay of an annoyed Petrakov.

"Yeah, the biggest headache will be the Tiger I. The japs made some improvements, but it's still a mechanical nightmare."

"Throw it at the end of the column. Worse case scenario we leave it behind."

"Won't that anger the higher-ups?"

"They're the ones who sent the only company with heavy tanks to a fucking valley in the heights with narrow stone roads. Put the IS-2 at the end as well, we might get rid of the Russian."

"Sure, whatever. What about the priestess?"

"Oh fuck, her. Can't we put her on the vanguard, scare the guides with threats?"

"Let's ask her. Do you know where she is?"

"Beats me. She should be with Feller, I think."

Roth and Huxley discussed in the background how to organize the company as the two officers, Miho and Khoakin, waited as Yao reappeared with the dark elves' chiefs, who were, allegedly, "waiting inside one of the meeting caves".

"I still say we should simply keep going."

"We need to talk with them."

"It's a waste of time." Petrakov crossed his arms, shooting daggers with his eyes at anyone who dared approach the group that was him, Miho, and Maho. "What will they do, beg us to kill the dragon? Warn us of not enter some sacred or cursed place? Threaten to attack us if we don't follow some dumb ancient rule they stick to because 'it's what came before'?" The Russian rolled his eyes, scoffing at the idea. "We simply came to spot a fucking giant flying lizard with anger issues, I don't understand why you wish to keep losing time like this with the natives."

"Even if that's the case, and they prove to only difficult the mission, we at least need guides to signal roads for our vehicles to pass. We will also need them in case we decide to descend by the other side of the mountains, towards Elbe. We don't know anything about the roads here."

Petrakov again scoffed at the idea, but if he wanted to retort, he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of two Panavia Tornados of the RAF, who flew a low pass above the students before heading upwards. The students cheered at the birds, the adult's support to take out the dragons, which made the sudden appearance of Yao not that surprising, considering most students' attention was on the planes.

"Yao. Is the council of chiefs ready to receive us?" Asked Miho, stepping in front of Khoakin. The Russian roller his eyes, but a side glare from Maho made him save his words.

"Y-yes, war chief Nishizumi. They're inside the cave here on the side. You may take some people with you."

"It'll be me, Onee-chan, Petrakov..."

"And the apostle Rory Mercury," intercede Khoakin, eyeing around. Finding the apostle near the half-tracks, he waves her over as Miho calmed down a disturbed Yao.

"I... I will pass the word to the chiefs. Please come forwards once you are ready."

Yao left as soon as Rory arrived, her long halberd resting on her shoulder as she eyed the three humans.

"Let's get this farce over with. We'll go in, secure the guides, then get out and spot that giant lizard."

"My, what an aggressive approach. Are you sure you don't want to take things calm first? It's a dragon we're talking about here."

"Not in the mood, Rory. You were useful in helping us get here, but that role now goes to the locals. And I surely hope they aren't a bunch of stuck-up snobs who think they have power over the ones doing the things they can't do."

"I'm with Rory here, Petrakov. Remember what happened with the dragon in Italica? We're much fewer than back then, we can't simply drive over like we are the ones with the power to kill it either," Miho replied, prompting an annoyed face from the Russian and a nod from Rory. Maho sent another glare to the Russian, who replied by simply looking away.

"Have it your way."

"That sounds like subordination to me," teased Rory, nodding and walking over the cave's entrance where a few older dark elves could be seen. "Let's go, it's not proper manners to keep our hosts waiting."

The two sisters followed suit, the grumbling Russian joining them soon. It was not being his day, at all: between the hangover, the annoying pest that were the dark elves, the boring mission in itself, and dealing with Rory... everything was eating away at his patience, which wasn't aided by knowing that the rest of the regiment was out there, fighting the damn war he was supposed to be taking part of. He raised his glance to find the elders waiting for them in the cave's entrance: they didn't look hostile, nor did they look like they wanted to see them in the first place.

In that, he wasn't alone. He just prayed that whatever Miho wanted to do, she'd do it quick.

Inside the cave there was a firepit whose smoke leaving through a small hole in the ceiling, probably the result of rainwater erosion later widened by the elves. A dozen dark elf elders sat in a semicircle around it, facing the newcomers with steel gazes. Yao, having completed her duty, quietly kneeled in the sidelines not speaking a word.

However, when Rory put a foot inside the room, the mood changed. Steeled glares became serious glances, and relaxed postures turned to tense limbs. Barely a word was uttered among them, but it was clear that the suspected power balance was altered, even if only slightly.

The atmosphere was, above everything else, oppressive, and dark. That was a deliberate choice. Once you offput the guest, the rest was easier for you. The design of the cave also aided the sounds transmission: a low grave voice was clearly heard on the other side, taking away the concern of shouting and diminishing one's intimidation.

Petrakov grimaced. He wasn't going to play their game.

"Men in war chariots," began one of the elders, a voice grave and serious. Khoakin once again rolled his eyes, clearly disliking the nickname even more. "We sent our youth to bring you here a reason. It is also a pleasure to receive the apostle of the god Emroy. Our doors are always open for you."

"Cut the crap. We were already on out way here beforehand." Muttered the Russian. Miho heard him yet decided not to translate it. Petrakov was able to speak the local language, if he didn't say it in it, it was because he didn't saw it as necessary.

The chiefs didn't seem to notice the slip, or if they did, did little to address it. Miho suspected it was from the influence of Rory's presence.

"The reason I mentioned is the presence of a cruel being that has made itself at home in this valley. A creature so great, powerful, evil, and ruthless, that-"

"I don't have time for this shit." Petrakov unholstered his pistol, aiming at the speaking chief. Miho only noticed from the gasps of the locals, throwing a side-glance to discover the officer whose arm was held by a serious-looking Rory. "If one of you pretentious fuckers speaks without my permission I will paint the wall behind them with their blood. Do you understand?"

"Petrakov." Miho turned to him, her sister taking a protective step in front of her. "Please, calm down. We don't need to create unnecessary trouble or get new enemies. Nobody wants misunderstandings."

Khoakin took a half-glance to the sisters, grumbling as he lowered his gun.

"I'll speak frankly so you can do the same. No pretending, no distractions, no lies. Yes?" He finished lowering his gun, instead rising his voice. "We didn't come to kill the dragon the way you think. We did defend Italica, but not alone. And we definitely did NOT come because you sent a scared girl to look for us." Miho took care of giving a sorrowful look at Yao, who seemed terrified at the Russian's actions. "We are here on our own initiative for our own purposes, and unless you want said purpose to become kicking the shit out of your race, you will help us with guides to locate this stupid flying fire-spitting lizard and a safe haven to pass through your territory in our way to find it. You will do no more, no less. Understood?"

Silence filled the room. The chiefs looked among themselves mortified, while the Nishizumi sister distanced themselves from the agitated captain. Only Rory remained calm, her arm keeping the Russian's right in its place while her eyes travelled from him to the dark elves and vice versa.

Finally, one of the chiefs, the closest to the earthlings, spoke up, his eyes shooting venomous darts at the officer.

"Don't think this will go unpunished-"

BANG!

A bullet hole appeared in the wall behind the chief's head. The presents' eyes turned to the Russian, noting the gun now on his left.

"The next will not miss."

Pure hate brimmed in his eyes as he lowered it, just in time for Rory to pull him backwards towards the entrance.

"I shall speak in private with this man."

"S-sure thing, your holiness..."

Not a second after Rory pushed the Russian out of the room, the chief who Khoakin had shot fainted. Miho was quick to offer her apologies for the poor attitude of his companion, quickly crafting a lie regarding his issue with drinks from the loss of a loved one during the current war of them against the Empire. With Rory's presence still fresh in their minds and the officer out of the picture, the chiefs were quick to accept the apology to in turn focus on the real issue.

Yao gulped, seeing how the sight of her elders turned to her.

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"So, this is how it ends?"

Huxley's question did little to disguise the neutrality in his voice, and perhaps, a slight disappointment. Roth shrugged, not really sharing the feeling.

"I guess seeing it from down here does take away from the emotion," he offered unapologetically. Both stood next to the lead half-track of the column, the battered Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251 numbered 231, observing how the RAF's Panavia Tornado bombed the flame dragon from above. The creature offered several defying roars amidst its cries of pain, yet once its wings were damaged beyond repair by the planes' initial strike, the game was decided. "But I rather see it from here, to be honest."

"Why?"

"I faced it back on Italica, during the Italica Incident. Tough nut to crack, killed a few of us, wounded some others, took down two WW2 planes... yeah, I rather see it burn to hell from down here."

"Jesus... I guess the brass was truly worried, then."

"Why'd you think they sent modern planes to take it out?"

"I just thought the politicians moved for once or something."

"I guess that makes sense..." Both took an instinctive step back as the dragon fired his flame breath at the planes, who skilfully evaded it, replying instead with bombs. Another pained roar came from the dead volcano's crater as the creature fell inside. "By the way, haven't you noticed that Petrakov and Rory had been acting kind of weird since they left that meeting with the elders."

"Beats me. I've known them for the grand total of like three days."

"Fair enough."

Roth looked around. The American team guided the planes attack a few metres away from them, the radio chatter with the planes giving away the fun the pilots were having while attacking the hard-skinned creature. A little distance away, Petrakov and Miho were talking with Yao and the guides provided by the dark elves' chiefs, who seemed rather scared of the Russian officer. He decided to step in.

"Major, captain, allow me to take over this matter. Since my vehicle will be at the forefront of the column, it's better if I'm the one to speak with the guides regarding the route."

Petrakov gave him a side-glare yet nodded, walking away. Roth sighed, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding. The Russian was indeed over the edge about something.

"Thanks, Roth, but I rather know this myself. One never knows when information might come in useful," Miho replied, thanking him with a gesture.

"Then we can both take care of this matter. In the end, it's Petrakov who kept our guides scared." He turned to the mythological creatures, speaking kindler than usual yet keeping his distances. "Should we continue now that we're free of chiefs?"

Away fair distance away from the convoy, Petrakov took a seat near the defile's border, lighting up a cigarette in his mouth and adjusting his cap so his face got more shadow. He took a drag from the paper cylinder with cheap tobacco, letting the wind carrying the smell of fire and gunpowder refresh him from the day that felt hotter by the minute for him, despite the height and the fact the temperature was actually colder than a few days ago. He felt the steps behind him, so he let out the smoke and laid back his head to face the newcomer.

"Rory."

"Have you had enough?"

"I don't know what you could be talking about."

"You do." Rory stepped closer, looming over the captain with cold eyes. "I was through with it after your little stunt on the dark elves' chiefs."

"You know why I acted that way."

"Do I?"

Petrakov stood up, taking the change to get another drag from the cigarette.

"You dislike my actions."

"Not so much your actions as them combined with your motives and total lack of morals." Rory walked towards his side, facing the fall below. It was at least two kilometres downwards, and even if the apostle was as immortal as she claimed, she was bound to be left with some sort of crippling damage.

"We can't be friends with everybody. We have a mission to complete, and we have to carry it through. Every hour that the beast is roaming the land is an hour my comrades are in danger."

"To that, I agree. Yet still is no excuse of your actions." Rory turned to face him. The Russian towered over her easily, with over half a metre of difference in their heights. Rory did not coward to this. "There was no need for the violence or hatred you employed against the dark elves' chiefs, nor for your attitude towards Yao, who, despite being a follower of Hardy, did nothing to warrant your anger. Your people are supposed to be the civilized invaders who come back from centuries of mindless war, in their own words, yet here you prove they are as guilty of savagery as the Empire you so despise."

Khoakin said nothing, cloudy European eyes defying sharp Falmartian ones.

"Why would I have gained the distrust of a god of war and death? If anything, I should be one of its favourites, all things considered."

"Emroy is truly the god of war and death, but not with the connotation you think. The death of another being is not inherently bad in its eyes, but that makes it so the ideals and motives behind the killing carry the burden of proving whether you acted correctly. It is not the same thing killing an enemy soldier than murdering an envoy in cold blood."

"So, you are saying I..."

"You might have acted accordingly to Emroy's mandates before, but since I've met you, you have only done terrible and reprimandable acts against the fellow being. You have pursued innocents, dishonoured the death, threatened those who ask for aid... and for what? Telling the air iron beasts controlled by your comrades to kill the dragon an hour early?"

Petrakov frowned, letting the cigarette drop form his mouth. Rory, however continued.

"There's something else going on. Some reason why you are so restless. Is it separation? Fear? Anxiety? Sickness? Or plain dislike of life?"

"You don't know anything."

"Perhaps I know nothing of where you came from. Doesn't mean I must approve of your actions, nor do I think any past justifies your behaviour."

"I'm doing what's necessary to win this war, a war in which this fucking lizard meddled and almost killed me, my sister, and most of the few people I care about. I would go so far as to say it's the only thing that could seriously threaten us right now." Khoakin took a step forward, shortening the distance. "And you so dislike the strides I go to keep my people safe... I wonder, do you and your god truly care about the motives at all? Or you simply wield it as an excuse to kill whoever disagrees with you?"

Rory's face remained serious, yet the hold on her weapon tightened.

"I won't allow slander like that against me or my god."

"Gods." Khoakin theatrically rolled his eyes, taking a step back. "For many centuries we prayed to them. Now they're here trying to lecture us on morals after the massacres of our world. The last "good" war was done almost 70 years ago, and it was a rarity. Sorry, but "good" wars are a thing of the past, buried underneath the mountain of bodies left in their wake. You want to talk about motives? I don't see you lecturing the rear services that hoard supplies to themselves. I don't see you criticizing command for sending millions to die on their behalf. I don't see you yelling at the secret police executing anyone who refuses to march to certain death just because he let out a remark against the ruler. Instead, you are here, blatantly accusing the ones doing anything to survive with their loved ones instead of the ones who put them here in the first place."

"I'm not from your world, and I have no power over there. Not even when our worlds are connected do the souls of your deceased pass through me to Emroy's realm. And I'm here lecturing you because it is you whom I see as the greatest offender to the principles of Emroy: all the rest are waging war. You are simply wielding your hatred for something as an excuse to be a danger to others, knowing full well nobody here will seriously go against you."

Khoakin narrowed his eyes.

"How would you know that?"

"I've watching, even when you thought otherwise. Among this group of children, you are the one who knows the most. You have seen battle, death, carnage, injustice. You carry yourself with confidence and you trust, no, know that people will always be there to do as you say. Even your so-called commander seeks your approval before acting, except once, when she protected the Yao elf from your remarks."

"..." Petrakov said nothing, eyes shooting daggers at the apostle that levelled her halberd and took a step back. Instinctively, he took his hand to his handgun. "And what shall you do, then? Kill me?"

"If that's what it takes."

It happened in a matter of seconds. Rory lunger forward with her weapon, prompting the captain to hastily throw himself behind a rock shooting his gun at the apostle in the process, who skilfully evaded and turned around just in time for Khoakin's grenade to explode in front of her. The ground at their feet destabilized, rumbling as rocks and dirt moved towards the edge and fell into the distance. Determined, Rory went once again towards the Russian, only for the soil to betray her and make her slip towards the ledge. She grabbed a rock on her way and managed to hold herself until the rock stopped moving, only to find Petrakov staring at her from above, gun at the ready.

"Your choice," he declared, offering his left hand. His right pointed the pistol at her hand holding her. Rory weighted her options. Even if she threw her halberd at him, there's was a reasonable chance he could shot her hand. Even if he missed, the rock could fail and let her fall to the abyss. There wasn't any terrain to jump to, and if she simply left her weapon above to get a better hold, she would be left at the mercy of the crazy officer. Begrudgingly, she tapped the extended left hand before sticking her halberd in the rock, accepting the help of Khoakin.

"This truce only lasts until we got off this mountain," she told him. Petrakov shrugged, holstering his gun.

"Hopefully, we won't see each other after this is over. I'll fuck off myself towards the next regular battle where what I do is accepted by your god, and you will probably wander to the next group you find interesting."

That was very much true. She had offered knowledge on the location of the dragon's nest, confident in that the soldier who managed to scare him off with an improvised defence after a battle would send an elite group to take care of it, yet she found her hopes dashed once she found out they were only pinpointing it so other could destroy it. It was in her boredom's best interest to stick to another group.

"Hey, are you ok?!" A shout come from further down the road. Miho, Maho, Roth, and a team of grenadiers appeared, weapons ready and scanning their surroundings. "We heard an explosion and came as soon as we pinpointed where they came from!"

Rory immediately put on a fake smile. Khoakin simply shrugged again, dismissing their worry with a wave of his hand.

"Nothing to worry about. I was testing my aim and a grenade malfunctioned. Rory helped me got to a safe spot when the rock started falling," Petrakov replied, making his way back to the convoy. "Is the dragon dead?"

"Y-yes, the planes just left after confirming it wasn't moving."

"Did the guides spill the beans on the route down the other side? This road is closed after the grenade exploded."

"Yes. They provided us with information and help up draw maps. Then they left."

"Good. Then let's get the hell out of this mountain."

XXXXXXXXXX

The convoy advanced carefully along another narrow path, this time downwards. Not only the grenade, but the air attack had also moved rocks and dirt over the roads, making the advance precarious at best, forcing the head vehicles to constantly stop the column to test the terrain going forward. This was all making Khoakin's mood worse, contrary to the rest, more worried over not falling to their deaths.

Despite this, the afternoon advanced calmly. Only two times they had to go back and pick a different road, and everyone was optimistic that they would be on the fields before nightfall. Shortly before descending the last trek of mountain, however, they found an unexpected host.

"She looks like those blue guys from avatar if you ask me. Just, much more scally."

"...damnit, I can't unsee it now. I hate you."

"Suffer."

Huxley chuckled at the comments of the troop, while Roth rolled his eyes.

"So, what now? I feel like I'm saying that way too much these days."

"She identified herself as Rory's rival, didn't she? Let her solve this issue. What was her name again?"

"Giselle. And I don't know about you, but I feel them staring daggers at the Russian captain."

"...you ma be right. Should I check?"

"Suit yourself. I'll stay with the infantry."

Roth stepped down from the half-track and hurried towards the front of the group, where a very impatient Petrakov was constantly tapping the floor while a wary Miho and a serious Maho waited further behind.

"Any update?"

"Nothing of relevance. They're still talking." He nodded at Maho to thanks her for the information.

"Should we head back to the vehicles and try to move on? I would love to be off this mountain by when there's no sunlight."

"Sounds like a good idea." Miho agreed. Roth wasted no time in ordering the column to keep moving, always keeping an eye on the two apostles, whose talking seemed to become more agitated by the minute. However, by the time it was the final infantry vehicles crossing, the suddenly got a lot quieter.

"So... that's the human that caught your interest?" Giselle suddenly spoke, pointing at Khoakin. The Russian grunted, Rory rolled her eyes, and Roth called some infantrymen with a gesture. His gut feeling told him something was about to happen.

"I certainly wouldn't call it interest, but he is the one that shinned up... even if for the wrong reasons." Petrakov levelled a gaze at the apostle of death, who nonchalantly dismissed it.

"Mind if I try him out for a bit?"

"Not at all, she's all yours. Consider it a payment so you won't bother me with Hardy's proposal for another year."

"I'll give you a month."

"Scheisse- open fire!"

"Here I come~!"

The soldiers raised their weapons and open fire, yet their bullets ricocheted against her weapon or were avoided by her quick movements. Not even five seconds had passed when she attacked the Russian with her scythe, who ended up crashing with his back against the rock at the side of the road, only half of his pistol remaining in his hand.

"Eh~... not bad for a human. Not everyone can parry an attack from me that quickly."

"My back..." Petrakov slid to the ground, hate spitting from his eyes at the blue-skinned apostle. "Do something, assholes..."

The soldiers took no time in reengaging the apostle, who simply jumped back the road while laughing. Khoakin was thrown back to his tank by one of his crew, Roth quickly jumping to the rear gate of his half-track.

"Everyone move it, back to the vehicles! Drivers, full throttle, get us out of this mountain!"

It was a matter of seconds for the convoy to kick up the speed, caring little for the now-wider roads as they finished climbing down the mountain and approached the open fields on the other side of the range. Roth and Huxley took care to watch their surroundings, ready to order fire if Giselle appeared again, yet they found their worry unwarranted.

That is, until a new roar shook the atmosphere.

"What... the... fuck..."

"Are those... are those two fucking dragons?!"

"Shit, go on, full speed!

"Get us out of here!"

"Fuck this mountain, call back the planes!"

Roth raised his binoculars, grunting at the sight of two flying dragons approaching, one red and one blue, with Giselle riding one of them.

"Guys, we found our lovely enemy. She's on top of the dragons." He announced over the radio over the shouting of the soldiers, who in their frenzy started to shoot at the beasts despite their bullets not making any real damage. "They appear smaller than the one we killed, maybe the offspring or something like that."

"Glad to know the fauna here reproduces but that doesn't help!" Came the shout from Huxley, gunfire coming from his radio as well. Roth clicked his tongue, eyes darting back to the dragons who approach them by the edge of the mountain. At that rate, their only chance was to make it to open ground and disperse so they would lose interest.

And considering Giselle seemed interested in Petrakov, perhaps they could send him off and get him done with-

"Colonel Woods, this is Major Nishizumi, hailing over open radio. If you are there, some assistance would be greatly appreciated. We are currently being pursued by two dragons and in need of serious assistance."

"What is she doing?"

"Maybe praying for a miracle." Hans replied to Roth's question, firing his MP40 at the dragons despite the distance. "I mean, what's the chance of a full colonel appearing in this fucking land-"

"Major Nishizumi, good to hear from you. How can we be of assistance?"

"If you have artillery, we would like you to fire on the following coordinates."

"Consider it done. Luckily, we are in range of most of our cannons, and we also have a good deal of AA."

"..."

"..."

"...you gotta be shitting me."

"I see why Nishizumi has a fame in Sensha-do duels in Japan."

Soon the convoy touched open ground as they left the mountain range behind, immediately dispersing to avoid presenting a large target for their pursuers. Not even a second later, a series of explosions filled the edge of the mountain where the dragons were flying, cries of pain and rocks falling filling the air in a cacophony of ugly proportions.

"What the hell?!" Asked Hans, covering his ears.

"Is that Woods artillery?!" Said Roth, observing the avalanche of rocks falling onto the dragons.

"Talk about fucking danger close!" Came a shout from the American half-track, Huxley imitating him in covering his ears, yet observing the scenario with fascination.

"That's what you get from flying next to a fucking mountain, jackass!" Some soldier exclaimed, soon other insults joining. Roth prayed that the dragons remained buried under the rocks, yet the artillery kept falling on them, not leaving them a chance to leave unscathed. He suspected their wings were damaged, so even if they survived, they wouldn't pose a threat.

It was only after ten minutes of intense bombardment that the shells stopped falling. The silence didn't last long, as soon another convoy pulled up to their position, arriving from the northeast.

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen," saluted a tall man, likely on the verge of graduating his respective academy. "Hope the artillery was to your liking. The lads in the Royal Artillery Academy pride themselves in their marksmanship and rate of fire."

"Colonel Woods." Came a somewhat weak voice. Roth spotted Miho leaving her tank with shaky legs, being aided by one of her crewmates. Yukari, if he remembered correctly. "Thanks for the assists... we really owe you our lives."

"Good thing we showed up, then. Good thinking remembering we were in the area. We had just secured this passage yesterday after our advance got stuck in Matilone, to the east, so we were searching for flanking routes."

"Still, thanks you, colonel Woods."

"Don't mind it." The colonel took out a cigarette, lighting it up and taking a drag. "By the way, while you were in the mountains, we received some orders for you once you were done with your mission. Command wants your unit to head north and meet the rest of the regiment in Ligs, east of Italica."

"Why?"

"I wouldn't know. I suggest you hurry, though. Your regiment's CO is Laundraff, right?" Miho nodded, slightly confused. "Yeah, I wouldn't keep him waiting."

"Understood. We'll move once we have rested. If you could spare some fuel..."

"I'll send a couple lorries over."

"Thanks."

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the convoy, Khoakin Petrakov sat on a small rock with a cigarette on his mouth. Checking no one was near, he lighted it up, took a drag, then simply said:

"Come out Rory. I know you are here."

The smiling apostle appeared from nearby bushes, her signature halberd resting on her shoulders.

"My. What gave it away?"

"I saw you running next to the convoy down the mountain. You looked way too angry with Giselle as to stay with her."

"You saw right through me, I see."

"I'll only say this: that wasn't funny." Petrakov glanced at the half gun in his holster. The trigger mechanism was ruined, so at most it could be useful as a souvenir.

"Thanks for the compliment. I had a most wonderful time~"

Khoakin gave her a side glance, taking another drag from his cigarette.

"The company's leaving from what I've heard. We'll go up north, towards Italica. Can I expect you to not bother us?"

Rory just gave him a quizzical look and turned around, walking away with a wave. The Russian officer stared at her retreating form before going back to his cigarette, watching the troops relax and mount camp for the night.

.

.

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A/N: Well, talk about a rather short, straight-to-the-point chapter. Rushed at the beginning and stretch at the end, but honestly, I'm just glad it's over now. Luckily the remaining chapters are way more entertaining to write. For the curious, without the author notes, this chapter has roughly 7,500 words.

Onto the changes from the Spanish version. The forest parts were modified to accommodate for Rory actually having a role here, while the chapter itself has several changes to show Petrakov's unhinged status. The falling out between him and Rory was remade from scratch in terms of narrative and content, given that the original reason was dumb and contradicted Rory's cannon statements. The meeting with the chiefs is narratively the same, but now Rory actually does something other than observe. All in all, the chapter is about Petrakov's state of mind, with the dragon going to a 2nd plane at best.

And well, there's that. Any updates will probably happen in January, as other projects get priority for now. That's all, I guess. Read ya later,
RedSS.