War Zone

Bunkers lie everywhere, trenches dug and barbed wire surround two sides of the field. Gunfire and flames spew from every side of the field. Soldiers scream in anger and explosions blast dirt way into the sky. The train station was only a few hundred yards from the nearest bunker.

Des hopped off the train to see chaos spread around him. He thought this was just a peaceful meeting but it seems things arose. As he waited for Rei to emerge from the train a soldier came running up and fell before him. He started to bleed profusely in front of Des. This angered him.

"Rei, hurry up, my men are dying! God Dammit!"

Des moved forward and into a small bunker next to the train station.

Rei was beside herself. Not only had she ridden in a military train, but she was now in the war zone in Creta. She could only hope that people would be willing to overlook her clearly Ishvalan traits. She hid behind the collar of her trench coat and raced across the area to the bunker Des had just entered.

"So help me, I will kill that man."

"Rei so glad you could join us, have a seat and listen up."

Des instructed her to sit down. He was in the middle of going over battle plans with a few soldiers. Just as they rose from their seats a bomb falls in front of the bunker and goes off. The dirt pours in through the little window slit. Des coughs through the dust and curses really loud shaking his fist. He pushes a few of the soldier out of his way and peers through the dusty slit.

"Damn creatures. This will not due. Rei, follow me, it's time I show you what I do for a living."

With that said, Des ran out from the bunker and into a nearby trench loading his gun and ordering a few soldiers.

Rei followed close behind Des, hardly knowing what was going on anymore. She was smart, but the ways of the military were just outside her grasp. She had never bothered to do much more than hold a hatred toward the war that was putting her father's family against her mother's.

Rei leapt into the trench, landing beside Des. She pulled her collar close to the side of her head. "What's going on?"

"Relations quickly broke down and a firefight broke out as you can see. This situation must be handed real quick, and I intend to do so alone if need be."

Des cocked the spring of his gun and popped up from the trench. He began to scream as his pulled the trigger to his gun firing in bursts. IT seems as though every step he took, one of the enemy was falling with bullet holes in their chests. Des ducked into a ditch, ejected the empty clip and loaded a new one. He pulled a grenade off of one of the soldiers released the pin and tossed it far over towards the enemy.

The explosion sent a body flying towards him and massive amounts of dirt to fly up into the air.

"This is my chance."

Des drew a circle on the ground and runes inside it. He quickly placed his hands on the circle and it lit up. He peered over to the cloud of smokey dirt. As soon as the dust settled he saw what he had done. The specs of dirt that flew in the air from the grenade blast began falling on the enemy like shards of glass.

"Aha! Bingo, TROOPS! ADVANCE. PUSH THEM BACK! REI COME ON!"

Des threw his hands forward and the troops moved forward shooting stray enemies not caught in the harmful dirt shower.

Rei heard the familiar sound of an activated transmutation circle, a smile tugging one corner of her mouth. At the same time, she wondered how many clips Des had on him before he ran out of ammunition. From what she knew of him, he would demand another soldier give him their supply.

Rei waited until all the other soldiers had climbed out of the trenches before she followed. She was too unfamiliar with who was the enemy and who was an ally to be of much use to anybody. She ran along the ground, crouched as low to the ground as she could get. She would watch this volley to see what Des was so excited about. She stayed far enough back that she would remain outside of the main line of fire, but close enough to step in should something drastic happen.

Des watched as the Dirt shower subsided and enemies fall to the ground. His troops came forward and cleared a path for him. As they moved forward they signaled him to come forward.

"Rei, let's go, time to meet the commander of this poor army. HAHA. YOU! Give me some ammo, I have run dry. Don't want to die out here."

The soldier gave Des a few clips of ammo as he escaped the trench and moved forward. It seems as though the farther he walked, the more enemies dropped. Des Climbed in and out of the next trench to find all his troops standing in parallel lines waiting for him to walk by.

"I see that the firefight has subsided. THAT IS WHAT THE MILITARY DOES, CAN I GET A HUZZAH!"

In one massive sound, all of the troops "Huzzah" in unison almost breaking the sound barrier. Des walked past the troops that began to clap for him. Upon nearing the end of the line, he saw a bunker with the door open and blood trailing inside.

"Rei, let's go, time to confront the person behind this."

Des ducked into the bunker and awaited for Rei before doing anything.

Rei wandered through the mass of cheering soldiers. She was too far back to know what had happened, but she could only assume that some great feat had been achieved through the slaughter they had performed. She shook her head and she walked, wondering what had gotten her into this mess.

Rei came to a ditch, blood running down the center like a tiny river. She stared at it, following it with her eyes. It led to a bunker, which she could only assume Des had gone into. She slid down the small incline and cautiously entered the doorway.

"Rei, glad you could make it, see this thing in the chair? He gave the orders to attack my troops. For what Reason we will find out now."

Des kicked the chair over where the bound man sat. He fell to the ground and knocked his head off the soft earth. Des ordered the two troops inside to lift him back up. Des approached him and delivered a straight fist to the man's jaw. Blood spat from the opposite direction and the man screamed in pain.

"Tell me! Who are you!? Why did you attack my troops? Forget it, you die now."

Des readied his gun and aimed it at the man's forehead. He motioned for Rei to come closer.

"This is what we do to scoundrel like him. You don't have to watch if you don't want to. Nobody messes with my army."

Rei watched in shock as Des beat up the defenseless man. The instant Rei saw the gun, she acted. She pulled the glove off her left hand, pointed two fingers at the gun, and fired, fast as lightning. Electricity raced from Rei's fingers and struck the gun in Des' hand. She was between the man and Des in a flash.

"You demand that people give you answers and then decide to kill him before he has a chance to answer. What the heck is wrong with you?" she shouted. She tore the sunglasses from her face, red eyes flashing angrily. "If nothing else, get information out of him then send him to a military prison or something. Killing him won't help anybody!"

Des dropped his gun and stared at Rei who appeared very angry standing between him and the man who killed some of his men. He bent down and picked his gun back up. He brushed it off and began to tap it against his head.

"Hmmm, you may be right. You, what's your name?"

The man spoke up and revealed himself as Grecco. He began to speak of his actions hoping his life would be spared. He told Des and the angry Rei that he was ordered to attack the military per order of the resistance. Des shook his head and lowered it covering his eyes.

"Rei, please step aside. The military was attacked because of the Resistance. I won't stand for this. He spoke and gave us information. Please step aside. This is in military hands now. Move aside or I will have my men forcefully move you."

Des was disgraced at the opportunity he had to present to Rei who still remained very angry but he had no choice. Des looked back up and cocked his gun chamber back. He loaded a new clip into it and awaited for Rei's response.

Rei stared hard at Des, anger boiling hot in her veins. Many thoughts rushed through her mind in the few moments Des had given her to make her decision. Her arms trembled, hands in tight fists.

Her feet were firmly planted; she would not have been able to move if her life depended on it. She sucked in air through clenched teeth, held it for a brief moment, then let it out as she allowed her head to fall forward. She could not move, but she could not stop Des.

"How unfair is that?"

Des sighed as he realized Rei was not going to move. He signaled for his troops to stand by. Des readied his gun and placed it against her shoulder.

"Rei, you have become a great friend, forgive me for this. No one opposes the military. This man must die!"

Des pulled the trigger and the bullet flowed through the chamber and right through Rei's shoulder. The bullet exited out the back of her shoulder and right into the head of Grecco. Blood spattered the back wall and the troops immediately rushed over to Rei to hold her and keep her from falling.

"Sorry. It had to be done. Take care of her men. Bring her to the hospital."

Des stroked her cheek and walked out of the bunker leaving Rei who had a gunshot wound and Grecco who was breathless in the chair."

Rei was amazed at how far the pain traveled through her body. She almost wished that Des had just shot her in the head and moved on. She felt her legs give out under her as all strength left her body. She was certain she would pass out from the pain.

Strong hands held her upright for a time before allowing her to succumb to the pull of gravity. Even that fall they controlled, laying her on something soft. The world began to spin and she felt her body being moved, but she slipped into darkness that coated her like a blanket.

[ Wow, okay. We're both outta here, now. xD; ]