Chapter 2: Night Raid

We fought, with blood and tears, to hold the line that day

Mistralian infantry stormed the trench, performing a spear-headed charge upon our position with their newest modeled tanks. Our forces are ill-equipped at the time, leading to large amount of casualties on the front.

Just being there is the most terrifying sensation I had ever experienced until that point. What they tell you on the newspaper, of grand victories and successful siege from our sides were only one face of the coin. They told us of the people who climbed over insurmountable odds, not the one who were sacrificed on the way

Bullets and artilleries rained down on our positions as they advanced. Most of us situating in the back were taken by the tanks crushing in through our defense. It will not be until an Assault troop arrived did things change

We were pushed back to Nox. This serves as a reminder of the alliance made. Being a country of traditionalism, Mistral's sudden leap in technology and application of Mantle's famous Blitzkrieg can mean one thing for all of us

*scrached out words* had been initiated

Thanks to the help of the Assault soldier whose name shall remain only as X (per his wish to remain anonymous on paper), I was able to survive through the frontal assault. The squads near our position also got saved by him and managed to rally before forcing suppression fire on the enemy.

Unexpectedly, it turns out X's action caused us to suffer the least casualties out of the other units, something which we thanked him profusely. He shook his head and point out that our chance of survival are still low. I have to agree with him

Orders from Vale had told us to preserve while they transport artillery out the front. Frankly, I don't know if we can endure their assault much longer

- Jaune Arc, (1915)

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Night on the trench was perhaps the least tense moments for most of the soldiers, especially after the mechanical siege from opposing units today. Cries of the critically wounded can be heard as they are loaded off into the backline. A grim reminder of the casualty we suffered today

Over 300 men dead and 500 incapacitated by enemy fire. Reinforcement from the "Kingdom" won't arrive for  another week and we were ordered to stay put, which mean we are basically stuck here until they come to our aid. Knowing typical military, they probably expected another burst of offensive to strike our position and is using us to dwindle their force down before intercepting the assault and taking them out.

We are bait. I realized. Necessary casualties for a counter-siege

It's sickening, but war is war. Efficiency trumps feelings

Walking through the trench's dimly lit path after paying homage for my fallen teammates, I arrived next to a makeshift section made for comfortable seating. By comfortable seating, I mean shallowly-dug holes that have dirt cushioned on them

This is the area where we're supposed to rest for the night. They were hastily cleared after our company were pushed back here by the Mistralian force. After a long day of continuously chucking AT grenades at tanks, I could make do with this

Spotting a familiar face sitting in a corner, I approached them. I slung my bag of equipment and guns on the ground not far from my position

"What are you writing?" I settled down next Jaune Arc. In response, he showed me a leather-bound journal and a piece of graphite he used as pencil

"Just something to take my mind off when the night falls" The blonde smiled weakly, closing the book "After some time of gruelling combat on the frontline, you find something to keep your mind off it"

"And yet when we met you were ready to piss yourself. Prolonged combat doesn't make you less inexperienced with action, it seem"

"W-well, that's because most of the time they only  used the human wave tactic. Mistral's pretty outdated in ther doctrine so we had thought machine guns using Dust bullets would be enough to take care of them"

His eyes trailed down "It is not until yesterday that they received reinforcement from Atlas. We were underprepared for their assault since we all thought they would still be busy on the Northern front"

I fell silent

Most of these things were familiar to me. The trench warfare. The spear-headed charge. The two-sided front with deadlocks engaging in attrition battles. The way the enemy tried to concentrate the bulk of their army on one front so they can achieve a swift victory

They were quite famous in history. But what caught my attention were the words he used

Up until this point I've been busy killing enemy left and right trying to survive on the battlefield. That alone is enough for me to put the thoughts behind my head, but now the words Jaune used were familiar...Mistral, Vale, Dust bullets...even the name Jaune Arc itself

'Oh no'

Those are actual things inside the RWBY universe. A series created by Roosterteeth that I've watched a long time ago, known for its action-packed storyline, diverse world-building, cute girls with character depth, and fanmade materials that could easily surpass the original

I'm inside a fictional show. Memories of my past life rushed through my head as I felt a migraine incoming

Fuck me. Just...fuck me. How the hell did this world goes from "Badass waifu fighting monsters of darkness and other badass waifu" to  "Gritty warfare straight out of a COD game"?

Taking a deep breath, I ventured to ask one more question

"And the Grimm?"

"The Grimm? What about them?"

His answer indicates they are acually a thing. It may just be a coincidence, as Grimm can be the designation of a particular unit. However, considering the chance of other phrases being thrown around as though they were usual things, it was unlikely

"Won't the negative emotions from this front lure them to us?"

"Oh..." Realization dawned on his eyes "Well. I don't know either. Apparently ever since this war started their activity had become rather lax. It's as though they just ignored us upon encounter"

So that's why there's the modification of the trench. Stationary outposts can only be constructed when there is assurance that nothing can cross the No Man's Land. A horde of Beringel or Nevermore flock would rip through them like a knife though butter due to their numbers and mobility

Though why the Grimm behave that way is indeed puzzling

"You must forgive me for asking that. It's just this is my first day on the field" I tipped my cap over my head and my form slumped down "I think I'm going to take a nap now. Wake me when dawn come"

"Don't worry. I'll do that"

He only nodded before returning to writing to his journal

Jaune never made any friends at home nor at school. He was always the dorky and naive one, which is why the only one who he was close with is his family. Now though, he actually managed to get along with someone else on the battlefield.

Someone who is shrouded in mystery. A skilled soldier who can take down tanks like cattle but claimed this was his first day on the battlefield. That didn't deter him from making acquaintance with the soldier however

After all, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet

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Though I did close my eyes, I never went to sleep. Waiting until all noises on the trench had died down to an acceptable level, I silently got up and pulled a pistol out of my bag. Equipping them along with a combat knife, I was greeted by the now familiar notification window

Tutorial Mode is over

Welcome to the Battlefield

Motherfucker

A new Contract had been found

[Terror of the Night]: Sneak back into the Mistralian's newly-established territory and reclaim them

For this quest, you are provided an infinite amount of grenades

Reward: 2,000 points.

I rifled through my bag once again and pulled out a score of explosives. Items a normal soldier are expected to have, except mine also includes anti-tank mine, anti-tank grenades, rocket launcher, and others exclusive to the Assault class

Under the cover of night, I began making my way across the trench. My eyes were trained on the guards on our side who are keeping watch on the ground throughout the long establishment

Walking up to one of them, I tug him by the shirt

"It's me"

"Huh?" He turned around confused. Internally, I took a deep breath and conditioned myself for the act that's about to take place

"What do you mean huh? I'm the trench raider sent here to help you guys" I blinked back, feigning obliviousness "Did command not tell you?"

"Oh, sorry. The telephone line had been cut off ever since the offensive so we don't have much to go on" the guard appeared sheepish "What do you want me to do?"

"Notify the other snipers and guards situated here that a trench raid will happen tonight. If you saw me return after the trench's destroyed make sure none of you shoot me by mistake. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly. I will speak to the others" His brow furrowed in suspicion "But...a one-man trench raid? That's never happened before"

"Are you doubting command from the higher-ups, private?"

There was steel in my voice

"N-no"

"Then I will be on my way" I carefully climbed my way up through the barbwire and headed into the No Man's Land. As I crouched down to the ground and slowly inched forward, I meantally called up the "game window". Something I've learned I can do in my second time dying on the trench

In the breach I managed to immobilize 13 tanks (1,300 points), kill 42 soldiers (840), 18 of which were downed with a headshot (360 points). That is enough for me to buy several perks from the Assault class that increase my efficiency. Though for this mission, I chose to focus on only one ability

With a mental command, the menu window was swapped to a page detailing accesible skills and perks, including those I've purchased recently. Up to ten skills for selection and at least fifty perks waiting to be unlocked

Skills are role-specific abilities that can be used for each class. Perks are general-powerups equippable for all types. There's only one Skill slot and three Perks slot available for use at this time, but that number will increase later as I purchase more of them

Assault 1st skill: [Double Reload]

- For shotgun type weapons, reload speed are halved as the player load in two bullets at a time

200 points to unlock

This will be suitable in tense combat situations, but I don't see a use for it yet as I can just resurrect myself at the same instance that I died. It's more a convenience than a real necessity. Nonetheless, I put a mental note to buy it when I've had the basics of this class covered

As an Assault I now have more options to destroy armor vehicles. So maybe that's what I should be spendding my points on. I browsed through the skills for a little longer before deciding on one

Assault 3rd skill: [Explosive Cluster]

- Frag grenades deals DoT to enemy. AT grenades decrease vehicle's mobility on hit by 30%

600 point to unlock

Good. With this skill I can take out, or at least incapaciate a part of Mistralian's force. Best case scenario they won't initiate the following assault. Worst case it will be delayed, allowing us to collect and prepare for a counter-offensive

As I neared the neemy trench, I started crawling at a slower pace. The lights are still out in the distance, proving that they most likely in the process of preparing their men for a subsequent charge. I then ducked my head low as the sniper's sight swept through my position. With my cover and the darkness of the night, the act of spotting me is not easy

Sighing, I spend another 400 to buy another perk. This one increasing the blast radius of explosives by 10%. With that, my preparation was done

My form shifted as I jumped over the trench toward the nearest Mistralian soldiers. Two of them are standing guard on opposite sides of the dirt path, seemingly deep in conversation about something. Curious, I knelt down and listened to their discussion

Are they...speaking in Japanese?

My ears twitched as my brows furrowed. Mistral is a land of multiculturalism, as evidenced from it's obvious alusion to Greek, Norse and Chinese mythology respectively. The fact that they're both speaking a language I can understand is a good point in my book

"How is the situation on the North front?"

"Like usual. Ironwood and his force are currently under a stalemate with our ally. The lady's got his people and Jacques Schnee under her control, but is met with heavy resistance from the White Army on Solitas's outskirt"

"Specialists?"

"Yeah. Goddamn Specialists. Thankfully commander Cinder's generous enough to spare some equipments from her side. The tactical doctrine's been a great help for us so far"

"Hm...now that you mention about it..."

I tailed them for several more minutes as their conversation turned to more trivial topic. Things like family, friends and love. Soldier 1 is an teenage orphan looking for purpose on the battlefield. Soldiers 2 is middle-age man with two kids and a wife waiting for him back home. Both of them were drafted against their will. Yada yada, basic pre-war stuff

A sigh escaped my lips. I don't need those kind of backstories. That makes it harder to kill them in cold blood

Finally deciding that enough is enough, I lunged from my spot

It was over in less than a second. I slammed my knife into the first soldier's head. The knife was whipped to the side as I used the momentum to slash the second's throat. Blood spattered on the trench wall. Grabbing the two of them before they could fall, I gently lowered them into the ground

Objective updated: collect intelligence about the upcoming plan on Atlas

I carefully set the bodies aside and started looting them, stripping one of the soldiers until he was only in his uniform. I took off my clothe and replaced the looted one. Looking around, I decided to hide the Vale army uniform on a creak between the trench

+ [Mistralian Army Uniform]

Tugging the long-sleeved outfit on me, I made way through the trench. Since there's no clear unit designation on the front, that made it harder for them to notice me. Still, I'm nervous after many days of battling on here one of them would see something unusual about me

Thankfully, none did, and I arrived within the communication trenches with ease. It was usually between the front and reserve trench, where supplies and men are transported from land to here. Knowing the general location save me hours of searching. Took me about another half an hour to locate the dug out where strategic meetings are carried out between officers

I sneaked around the door and traversed through the dark staircase to arrive at a dimlit room. Only an officer was stationed there to which I quickly take out with a slit to the throat. He struggled slightly before going limp

Throwing the body to the side, I saw the different books and documents regarding the war sitting in a corner. I absentmindedly grabbed them in hope they would provide me some knowledge on this world

- Codex Entry: [The White Army]

- Codex Entry: [Vale]

- Codex Entry: [Specialists]

Reading each Codex Entry grants you additional reward

The paper was carelessly splayed out on the table. I took all of them. Information about logistics, inland situation, availabel resources were all wrapped up into a tight bundle which formed quite the high stack

"Wait, where do I keep them?"

Use [Inventory] to store non-combat items (0/30 kg)

I threw everything around me into the spatial hole that just appeared before closing them. I'm just not going to question it.

The room was now empty saves for the corpse. With the objective finished, the previous one returned and I was reminded of my trench-raiding mission

I climbed out from the dug-out and quietly made my way back to the reserve trenches. There's about 200 tanks from what I've seen. I started considering my options. These won't need to be destroyed as they can used to bolster our forces in return. What I need to take out are the men

In the confined space of the trench, the most efficient tactics to weed them out would be using explosives. And the system just happens to grant me an infinite amount of grenades for this quest

Oh, this is going to be quite fun

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They were awaken by the sound of explosions

Mistralian infantry barely have time to grab their guns as blazing fire enveloped them. A second explosion followed afterward as those nearby were hit with shrapnels that dug deep into their skins, drawing out agonizing screams of pain from the men. For all their worth, these hardened soldiers did not expect an immediate trench raid after they've sieged the enemy lines just today

In war, always expect the unexpected

Through the fire and the flame, a figure emerged. Clad in Assault gear, (Y/n) threw down another grenade that exploded in the crowded space of the trench.

His shotguns rang out three consecutive slugs, taking down two men trying to run from him. He marched forward, killing another one with a stab to the gut. As if not satisfied, he switched to his submachine gun and begin spraying down gunfire on the remaining soldiers

Disoriented as they were, Mistral forces soon regain their wits enough to reconcile with their night guards. They traversed the trench to concentrate fire on a single area, preparing to face off against a party of fully-equipped trench-raiders

What they found instead was a single man. With fire burning behind him and the screaming fading into the background, the scenery creates a hellish looking portraits that will forever be engraved into these soldier's minds

"It's the Devil..."

"F-fire! Gun him down with all you've got!"

A hail of bullets impacted against (Y/n) as he staggered backward. His body torn apart by explosives as blood poured out from the wounds on his body, before the man fell to the ground dead....

Only for him to get up a moment later, all the wounds now miraculously healed and his ammunitions fully replenished

He started chucking grenades at them, forcing the soldiers to quickly scattered around in panic. Snipers tried to take him down from afar, but the Vale soldier goes back time and time again, as if unaffected by the weapons they used against him

Explosions rocked the entire trench as all types of explosives  were tossed around like mere toys. Indeed, he was taking advantage of his infinite grenades to its absolute advantage

It does not matter if he is caught in the explosion

It does not matter if the enemy gun him down

For he will always rise up. Like a demon made of their own sins

"IT'S NOT WORKING. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE" The commander screamed at the top of his throat as he gestured wildly to his soldiers like a madman. His subordinates was all to eager to obey

Watching as the troops rushed to the main entrance, he sighed

"I'm afraid none of you gentlemen will be leaving here alive"

He pressed the button on the detonator

A chain of explosions rang out across the trench as the mines placed on their position got triggered, killing the majority of the Mistralian soldiers nearby

The trench collapsed under the force of the explosion, crashing down on the dazed soldiers and burying most of their corpses under piles of dirt. And then there was a peaceful silence

Now the Mistral settlement was nothing more than a living hell, with embers floating in the air. Smokes flew up the trench in columns as fire burned fiercely underneath them. It's a sight that seems as though taken straight out of Dante's Inferno

(Y/n) gazed around at the hell of his own making and spotted several survivors trying to dig themselves out from the rubble. They weakly pushed the woods out of the way, revealing tired men with burnts littered on their face.

Their eyes were looking at him with pain and hatred. Some looks on in defiance, while others simply seems tired and had already accepted their own fate

"There's nothing personal about this"

He finished loading another rounds into his shotgun and pumped them. Cold-hearted as he was, (Y/n) still decided to put them out of their misery

One person at a time, until not one of them remain

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Enemy Killed: 401 (8,020)

Headshot: 17 (340)

Explosive Kill: 385 (3,850)

Dawn comes as the sunlight shone on top of a charred and bloody field

On that day, words spread about the existence of a soldier who singlehandedly cleared away an entire company overnight

Some said it's the Devil at work. Others said it's an elite squad of trench-raiders that did the deed anonymously

"Did you sleep well last night?"

Only I knew the truth

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Codex Entry: [Specialist] had been opened

It is common knowledge that all human beings possess a soul. Through an extension of those souls did Aura came to be, manifesting inside each of us in various ways. Their effects on the human nervous systems are profound, which is why military often employs protocol in which recruits got their Aura unlocked.

Most of the times soldiers who failed to unlock their Aura got sent to the battlefield, while those who managed to do so get a promotion into "Elites" and was deployed at strategic points on the battlefields. The difference between Elites and normal soldiers are vast as they can operate as more efficient killing machines by the government

Yet there is a level even higher than that

Specialists, formerly known as "Huntsman", are individuals who are able to utilize their Aura to superhuman degree. Elites of Elites. Their senses are sharp enough to block and deflect bullets. Their physical characteristics are enhanced dozens of times more than the average person, enabling them to perform acrobatic feats of supernatural level

In the past people like them would be trained to combat against the Grimm. But now with their decreasing hostility toward our kind and the current conflict going on, they had been geared toward more suitable combat against other human. That means more tactical weaponry, application of strategic doctrine...and a more lethal mindset

If before they got hailed as protectors of humanity, now they are treated as nightmares on the battlefield. Funny how war can change people's perception of something can it?