War of Attrition

"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Property: Capitalism 101." This article, War of Attrition, belongs solely to The Great Swordsman and cannot be utilized without his permission. Otherwise, you'll find yourself in pieces. If you wish to use the contents of this article, make a concise request on his page.

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Previous - A Veteran's Tail

"So... Explain this to me again?" Florz growled, glancing around the corner into the cargo-hold of their airship. Sitting near the cargo bay door, at a small bench that lined the hull, sat Gregor Nemian, the current main suspect in their investigation. The old man sat on his own, a small smile sitting just below a thick mustache. He sat with a pair of sabers held out in-front of him, in the same manner that an old man would hold a walking cane. He'd occasionally offer a small nod as rune knights passed, but had remained in place ever since liftoff. "Why the hell is he here?"

He spun back around to look at Hanna, who had offered very little as to an explanation. She and Cyn had simply returned with the old veteran in tow, and quickly brushed off all questions with an affirming nod.

"Because, I think he can help." Hanna muttered, stepping away from the cargo-hold, just in case Florz's tone had tipped off their suspect. "We can watch his reaction when we raid the hideout. If he's a member of Crooked Cross, there's a chance someone there might recognize him." She paused a moment, during which FLorz let out a slow, disapproving groan. "I know it's not much, but it's the best shot we have." Hanna huffed, realizing just how much of a long-shot this plan was. "Just trust me, ok?"

"Aren't trust exercises fun?" Cyn quipped. Florz was predictably bursting a blood vessel; she thought Hanna was a stickler, but this dude stiffened up the moment a surprise was thrown his way. It almost made up for his actions on the communication device. Almost.

"So.....are you going to undo your panties wad and roll with it? Or are you going to huff and puff around here like the big bad wolf? Who's actually a pretty nice guy by the way; just a bad misunderstanding with his neighbors."

Florz glanced between the two women, deciding to ignore Cyn for the moment. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he said. "What if he's dirty?"

Hanna snorted, obviously trying not to think about it. "If he is... Then we'll deal with it." She glanced over her shoulder to a small group of rune knights, all of whom where prepping for their upcoming engagement. Nodding slightly, she rested her hand on the hit of her sword when she looked back at him and Cyn. "Besides: he's a sixty year old man, on an airship carrying almost a full platoon of mages, flying over a hundred feet in the air over the ocean. even without the three of us watching over him, how much damage could he really do?"

Florz opened his mouth to make an argument, but found that he had none. Shrugging his shoulders in defeat, he slid his hands into his pockets and relaxed a bit. "So, what's the plan then?"

Also relaxing a little, Hanna stood up straight and confidently said. "We're going to go over the battle plan. Word of the last raid has to have gotten around by now, so I want to make sure we're prepared for anything." Florz nodded, then turned to make his way to the command room. When Cyn tried to follow however, Hanna held up a hand to stop her. "Do you mind watching him?" She said, nodding to their guest. "I want at least one of us keeping an eye on him, just in case."

Cyn's eyes shuttered. "Fine." She watched the two walk off, huddled confidentially. She huffed before sauntering back to where Gregor sat. Leaning against a nearby wall, Cyn remained wrapped in her own thoughts, before her boredom got the best of her.

"So....do you have a special someone in your life? Spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, lover, significant other? Any of them work," Cyn asked, folding her arms.

Gregor chuckled to himself. "No, I'm afraid I've never been much good at maintaining personal relationships. I've preferred a life of solitude, ever since my militarily days." He rocked his swords back and forth, tilting his head up to look Cyn in the eye. "What about you? A young woman such as yourself must have someone important in your life, yes?"

Cyn shook her head. "That's sad; you ought to have someone to grow old together with," she responded before grinning, "I have two in fact. A silly dragon and a cocky mercenary that I can't do without. They keep my heart full and honestly, with how much they squabble there's never a dull moment." She claps her hands together. "That's it! We'll have to find you a special someone after all this is over."

His chuckling developed into a hearty laugh. "I'll take your offer into consideration, young lady." Gregor seemed to relax slightly. He shifted his position to have his two sabers resting against his leg, keeping one hand atop both, while resting the other on his knee. "But, what was that you said about a dragon? That sounds far more interesting than any old war story."

Cyn nodded. "Of course! The land I call home is a magical place; my dragon buddy is just one of many types of being you'll see there. He's technically on probation though..my mom nearly tore him a new one after he made a really, really pig-headed mistake. But all's well that ends well right? Still, it's the main reason why I love chasing fables and legends. Maybe no one here believes in them, but I see them every day, you know?" She noticed that some of his stiffness was gone, a good sign as far as she was concerned.

Gregor's chuckling developed into a full laugh, more at her last comment than the haphazard story. "You should visit one of the bigger port cities once we're done." He said, adjusting his collier. "The tails those sailors tell... It's a wonder any of them still dare travel the oceans. You'll never find a more open-minded group of people."

Cyn nodded enthusiastically. "That's one of the next spots on my bucket list. Well, when you love something so much, you'll continue to do it no matter the risk or the danger. And if you survive, you'll have a wicked story to tell. I wonder if they've met any sirens or merfolk...maybe a leviathan?" she responded, her own imagination kicking into high gear.

"A story of a Leviathen, you say?" Raising his eyebrow, the old solder turned to her with an amused look. "Well then, you're in for a treat. I won't spoil the fun, but just remember the name, Ragonga. You'll not be disappointed." As Cyn's eyes lit up with wonder, Grogor slowly lifted himself to his feet and stowed his sabers by his waist. "But, if you'll excuse me... I'd like to get a look at the ocean. Must be quite the view all the way up here."

"Attention all personnel..." A voice suddenly echoed over the intercom. "We've just received a heavy rain warning in the vicinity around our destination. Secure all cargo and brace for turbulence. All nonessential personnel are to report to cargo hold."

As abruptly as he got back up, Gregor stopped and rested a hand on his swords. "Well... I suppose that view will have to wait..." He said with a small bit of disappointment. He returned to his seat, replacing his sabers where they had sat a moment ago. "I Suppose we'd best buckle up then." Cyn offered a small smile, and Gregor's eye narrowed. "This should be interesting."

"This'll be fun actually!" She sat cross legged as the turbulence began.

---

Two hours later, the bumpy ride ended when the airship touched down in the ocean, skirting along the shoreline to a small, rocky inlet where the solders quickly set up a temporary base of operations. A mere twenty minutes after making landfall, just as the sun began to set over the ocean, plans of attack where already being drawn up.

Located in one of the tents at the center of the encampment, Hanna was going through the plan with her troops, as well as Cyn and Gregor. Florz was noticeably absent for the two newcomers, Though neither of them had been able to get a word in edgewise since they'd landed.

"Our target is this." Hanna said shifting a pair of papers across the table. One was a candid shot of an old, rundown building, the other of what appeared to be a crudely drawn up layout of the property. "It's an old plantation that was abandoned after the owners went bankrupted." She paused a moment to look around, ensuring everyone was listening. "Approaching from behind isn't an option; they built the main house right up against a cliff face Meaning the only way to approach is through the fields." She said, tracing her finger along a large pair of fenced off sections on the map. "Everyone with me so far?"

"Smart cookies; one less angle to defend. Assuming someone didn't bulldoze through cliff face. Or trigger the cliff face's collapse," Cyn chimed in before falling silent. When she saw incredulous looks from a few of the soldiers, she frowned. "What? It can be done, pretty easily in fact. Y'all have no imagination." She clicked her tongue before another thought appeared.

"Any surprises we should worry about?"

"N-not that we're aware of..." Hanna muttered, trying to fathom what she'd just said. She did know they where here to arrest people, not bury them in a rock-slide, right? "But... We uncovered a large collection of bomb Lacrima during the last raid. So assume whoever you come across is heavily armed. And watch your fire. One bad spell could accidentally set off a cache, so try and keep your fights quick and personal."

A number of the squad-mates murmured and nodded. Florx approached with a small display in hand, which projected a small map of the property once placed on the table. "The plan is to split into two groups. He began, spinning the map and pointing to a building off to the side of the property. "The smaller advanced squad will approach through the barn, clear anyone you find, and move onto the plantation. A second squad after that will secure the area and set up over-watch over the field. Then you'll follow the advanced squad in as you clear each floor." More murmurs and nods followed. "Any questions?"

Nobody said anything at first, which made Hanna smile. That is, until one of them in particular slowly raised his hand. "What are our orders of engagement...?" Asked Gregor.

A shiver shot up Hanna's spine. She was fairly certain she'd made it clear they where to secure anyone they found inside, hadn't she? That wasn't even the half of it though; his voice was oddly cold. It suddenly gave her a very bad feeling about this. "You..." She began, finding it heard to formulate a thought. "You're free to act under your own discretion." Saying it out loud made it sound annoyingly vague, so she thought it best to clarify. "Everyone in there is likely going ot be hostile. But, ideally, we're here to capture, not kill."

"I mean, if they were throwing a welcome party, I'd be like: IT'S A TRAP!" Cyn grinned in response. Unlike Gregor's cold, almost murderously detached energy, she was quite chipper, relaxed even.

"I bet they have some good stories to tell. One more question before we get this show on the road; who is in which squad?" she asked, cracking her knuckles one by one, her golden irises glowing slightly.

She then patted Hanna on the back, whispering in her ear slightly. "Ease up a bit; any stiffer and you'll be a dead giveaway."

"The teams..." Florz continued, alowing Hanna a moment to relax. "Capitan Andrews and Mr Nemian will spearhead Squad A in the forward assault." Gregor, as well as a number of the members of the squad nodded. "Squad B will followup and secure our position, and... Ms. Soga will provide over-watch from the farmhouse." He said, shooting Cyn a look. "Time to put that cannon of yours to work."

Cyn frowned, one of her pet peeves awoken. "It's a bazooka, not a cannon. There's a big difference; one, a cannon isn't exactly portable. Two, it shoots cannonballs. Three, it has a fuse. But I guess I can let you off the hook; you're only a rookie in the collection game," she responded, cheering up again.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Florz said dismissively, sorting through the Intel files.

"Well, if that's it, let's get to it. Come on Angurvadal," the bazooka appeared in her hand before she leaned it on her shoulder, "you and I have a date with a view." Cyn exited the tent.

The solders all watched Cyn make her exit, each wearing an expression ranging for exasperation to disbelief. Slowly, a light chuckle filled the air, and most turned to find Gregor was the source. "Well, she certainly is a character. Isn't she?"

"You're all dismissed. Report to your stations and await further orders." Hanna barked with a wave of her hand. The solders all promptly nodded and filed out, with Gregor being the last to leave. Once she felt everyone was out of earshot, Hanna dropped her shoulders and let out a long sigh. Florz was still present, not being part of the main raid group, and had taken to looking over the property layout once more. "Do you remember that feeling you get, back when you where a trainee?"

"The sick, burning feeling?" Florz suggested, not looking up from his paper. "Like you haven't eaten in days, but thinking about food makes you nauseous?"

He turned to find Hanna holding her stomach, and a worried expression on her face."Yeah... that one..." She took a deep breath, glancing out the still open tent flap. "I think I'm feeling it right now..."

"Maybe that's because you're about to perform a raid we've barely had time to prepare for, with a suspected terrorist and a gun toting lunatic acting as backup." He glanced back at her, only then realising how little his comment had helped. Shutting the file he'd been reading, FLorz tossed it onto the table and stepped closer. "Are you sure you don't want me out there with you?" He said, leaning in so that he could lower his voice. "My Chess Magic can back you up better than anyone here."

Though she considered the offer for a moment, Hanna ultimately shook her head with a smile. "No, I need you here with the ship. I want a fallback point if we need to retreat, and you're summons are better at repelling an attack than pressing one." Straightening up, Hanna seemed to relax a little, and nudged Florz' arm with her elbow. "But, thanks for the offer."

Nodding begrudgingly, Florz swept the Intel papers under his arm and backed away. "Just be careful out there." He said, before he to made his exit.

---

The sun had just begun to touch the water, casting a long shadow over the plantation property. The sky was dyed a bright orange, but lamps where already being lit around the grounds to illuminate the area. Two men had shirked their duties, seeking around the edge of the farmhouse to play a quick game of cards by lamplight.

"C'mon old man... Just admit you got nothin'." The younger one said, bouncing his leg impatiently. "I got three queens and an ace." He pointed to their anti, a small pile of coins and crumpled bills, and half a pack of cigarettes. "Just admit you're done, and let's get back to it. I got debts to settle."

Unperturbed, the older one began to chuckle. "Yeah, guess this has gone on long enough." He said with a shrug. "But, two things..." He threw down a pair of queens, which instantly made the younger man loose his cocky expression. "One, you're still a shit at bluffing. And two..."

As he moved to reveal the rest of his hand, a bold of magic shot out of the trees and struck him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. The younger one shot to his feet, scattering the cards and their winnings across the ground. He spun towards the forest, where half a dozen figures burst forth, the closest of which was a woman with platinum-silver hair and a large gun slung across her back.

"Well good evening gentlemen. I hope we didn't interrupt anything too important." Using the advantage of surprise, she went for a sweep to take out his legs from under him before straightening. "Oooo. A card game, that must have been fun. I hope you don't mind me taking these bills and coins; it'd be an awful shame if they went to waste." She went to scoop them up.

Before she could however, Hanna grabbed her by the collar and dragged her next to the barn, quickly shushing her before standing her in line between herself and Gregor. The rest of the troops lined up along the barn wall behind then, with the two troops bringing up the rear, stopping to drag the unconscious men away.

Hanna held up a hand to halt their advance, quickly glancing around the corner of the barn. "You pricks done yet?" Hanna snapped her head back at the sound of someone approaching, and a shadow approached. "Wrap it up already, or the boss is going to feed you to that ugly cave-."

As a third man stepped around the corner, Hanna plucked her sword, still in it's scabbed, from her belt and struck them in the crown. The painful sound of his jaw clacking together accompanied him falling to his knees, wherein Hanna grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him into the arms of her comrades. With a wave of her hand, her and the others charged around the corner and through the still open barn door.

Three men where present. One was asleep atop a long wooden bench, another sat at the far end of the structure, spinning a knife round and round on a table in boredom. The last was stood right at the barn entrance, stunned by the sudden appearance of a platoon of Council Mages.

Cyn pouted, wanting to replenish her bottom line, as meager as the crumpled bills and spare change were. "This is why I never joined the Magic Council..." she mumbled to herself before Hanna shushed her.

As they reached the edge of the barn, she watched, somewhat impressed, as Hanna knocked out an adversary with little effort. Swords did help after all; maybe she should use one too.

"Well, hello to you too; nice place you got here," Cyn said to the stunned man, waving. Her eyes raked across the space, pin-pointing the knife spinning lad. She wondered how good of a throw he was.

To Cyn's disappointment, The knife wielding man turned and ran, heading towards a small door facing the crop-field. Faster than anything, Hanna jabbed the tip of her sword into the floor, from which a line of tiny runes erupted forth and raced across the floor. They encircled the door-frame just as the man opened his mouth to alert his comrades, wherein he, at a full sprint, smacked head first into an invisible barrier and collapsed to the ground unconscious.

The third man awoke, only to fins himself surrounded by a trio of council mages, all with spells primed to fire. "Uh..." The man muttered, slowly raising his hands when he spotted the Magic Council emblem on their robes. "I surrender?"

"Spread out." Hanna ordered once the three men had been secured. Another handful of Rune Knights dragged their new captives away, while more still filed in after them, lining the barn walls. "Florz, we've secured the barn." Hanna said, touching two fingers to her ear. "Nothing yet, we're moving onto the manor in a second." Her eyes flicked to Cyn and Gregor, who despite lining up with them, was one of the last to enter the barn. "I just need to take care of something first..."

She approached, looking somewhat frustrated. "Oh my..." Gregor leaned towards Cyn, speaking in a hushed tone. "She's quite a different person when on the job, isn't she?"

"You don't say," Cyn whispered back confidentially.

As Rune knights continued to rush past them, Hanna drew in close. "Where where you doing?" She said, directing her irritation towards Gregor. "You where supposed to breach with me. Why are you out of position?"

Taken aback, Gregor Had to take a moment to think. "O-oh, I... I'm sorry. It seems I've lost my edge." He stammered, wearing a slight smile despite being reprimanded. "I'm a bit out of practice it seems."

His smile seemed to fuel Hanna's anger, as a small vein popped in her forehead. She kept a lid on it however, and motioned with her sword towards the entrance near the manor. "Just, stay in position." Gregor offered a quick solute, then snuck away to join the others, drawing one of his sabers as he did so. "And you." Hanna placed a hand on Cyn's chest when she moved to follow. "Cut the chatter. After we're one, you can do whatever you want. But until then, you follow orders. Understand?"

Cyn couldn't help the grin that rose to her face, likely infuriating the Rune Knight captain further. Her and orders had never gotten along; call it an inherited trait. "Aye aye captain," she responded, adding a mock salute for good measure, "would you like me to shine your shoes while I'm doing so?" Before Hanna could say anything, she continued.

"Loosen up a little OK? You'll focus better that way; less tunnel vision."

Dropping her shoulders, Hanna sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. "Just... Stick the the plan." She said, reaching into her vest pocket and producing a communicate for Cyn. "Radio in anything you see, but only shoot if you think you absolutely have to. I want to avoid casualty's as much as possible." As Cyn reached for the device, Hanna clutched her hand, grabbing her attention more than anything. "Promise me that I can trust you with this."

[Category:Storyline]]