I ran to the nearest soldier who was moving some files, grabbing him by the shoulder pads.
"Gefreiter, where's your Oberliuetenet?" I asked loudly so he could hear over the din of battle.
"He's preparing a defensive line, sir," he replied, pointing towards the bottom of the hill where the Oberliuetenet and about 12 of his men were gathered.
"Are they crazy?" Felix muttered, eyeing their small number compared to the approaching French forces.
"I guess they are," I said, turning to the Gefreiter. "Where's your armory?"
He pointed towards a little shack nearby to the right. "Thank you, Gefreiter," I said, releasing him and making a run for the armory with Felix following behind.
Approaching the armory, I saw the door was closed and locked. "It's locked," I remarked, trying to force it open. Failing, I stepped back and kicked it, sending the door flying inside the room.
"I guess that could work," Felix commented as he rushed inside and began searching for a weapon. I followed suit, picking up a rifle since it was the only weapon available. Felix loaded his rifle with ammo, storing some in his pockets for later.
"We have no other choice," I said, as we exited the armory and made our way below the hill towards the Oberliuetenet's position. We could see them already in position, their defense appearing rather feeble against the approaching French forces.
"Nietzsche, are you sure about this?" Felix asked, running beside me after spotting their defensive line.
"It's better than sitting up there like ducks," I replied, increasing my pace towards their position.
"Uhhh, I have a bad feeling about this," Felix muttered, his footsteps echoing louder as we approached the defensive line.
As we approached the defensive line, I could feel tension building in the air. The Oberliuetenet stood at the forefront, his men readying their rifles and taking cover behind makeshift barricades.
"Oberliuetenet, we should be defending from atop the hill," I asserted, my voice firm with conviction. "It will give us the advantage of higher ground and better visibility."
The Oberliuetenet shook his head, his expression resolute. "No, Hauptmann Nietzsche. If we defend from up there, the enemy will have more ground to advance. We need to hold our position here and make a stand."
Felix glanced between us, clearly torn between our differing opinions. "We need to decide quickly," he urged, his voice tense.
Before I could respond, the sound of gunfire erupted in the distance, signaling the arrival of the French forces. Bullets whizzed through the air, kicking up dust and debris as they struck the ground around us.
"We don't have time for this debate," I said, urgency creeping into my voice. "We need to defend ourselves now."
The Oberliuetenet hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Agreed. Everyone, take cover and return fire!" he ordered, his voice booming over the chaos of battle.
Felix and I quickly found cover behind a nearby barricade, rifles in hand as we returned fire towards the advancing enemy. The air was thick with the crack of gunfire and the acrid smell of gunpowder as we fought to hold our ground against the relentless onslaught.
As bullets flew through and the enemy advanced on our position, about three of our men had been killed, and the enemy numbers kept increasing.
"Oberliuetenet, move your men back to the top of the hill; we will cover your retreat," I shouted, continuing to fire at the French.
"We?" Felix questioned, glancing at me and then back at the advancing French soldiers as he continued firing.
"But sir!!! We could still Hold ....." He attempted to argue, but I cut him off firmly.
"No buts, Oberliuetenet, that's an order. We will be right behind you. Now move," I ordered him as another French company arrived.
"Men, retreat!!!" He shouted, prompting the remaining soldiers to start retreating slowly before breaking into a run.
"You know Nietzsche, if I die here, I will blame you first," he said, continuing to fire at the French.
"But we will not be dying, Felix. I bet you 30 if we survive," I replied as I continued to fire at the enemy.
"'IF WE SURVIVE,'" Felix said, as I smiled and let out my black slime from my leg. It moved from the ground unseen, tagging the enemy and slipping beneath their shadows.
"Alright, Felix, retreat. I'll cover you," I instructed. Hearing that, Felix immediately got up from his prone position and dashed to the top of the hill.
As he left my sight, I smiled and then focused my slime to consume the French soldiers. At first, they didn't feel anything, but soon many of them couldn't move their legs, realizing that half of their bodies were already consumed by the slime. Within a minute, the entire French company was gone. Despite my success, I couldn't shake the distasteful feeling it left me with.
"I hate it," I muttered to myself as I ran back to join up with the rest of the men.
As I climbed to the top of the hill, I could see that some of the wagons had already moved, and most of the injured had been evacuated. Spotting Felix, the head nurse, and the Oberliuetenet, I approached them.
"Ms. Nathalie, how is the evacuation?" I asked, concerned, as the head nurse looked at me.
"It's almost done, Hautpamnn. It's just some nurses and me; the injured have been evacuated," she replied, sweat running down her face.
"Evacuate quickly; the French are approaching our position. Oberliuetenet, get the rest of your men and help the nurses evacuate," I ordered.
"Yes, sir," he acknowledged.
"Felix, you're with me," I said, motioning for him to follow as I ran towards the armory.
"Uhhh, Fuck!!!" Felix exclaimed, following me closely.
As I entered the armory, passing through the broken door that I kicked down, I began searching for explosives. Felix finally joined me, eyeing the explosives I was gathering.
"Nietzsche, don't," he said, his tone dead serious.
"Don't what?" I replied, continuing to gather as many explosives as I could carry in my hands.
"You're going to blow up this place, right?" he asked, still standing behind me.
"Yeah, how about you hold these?" I said, handing him about six explosives.
"Fuck!!! Nietzsche, do we really have to do this? The nurses wouldn't be harmed; we should be evacuating ourselves," he argued, but I remained silent, then grabbed his collar.
"Listen, Felix, if you even THINK I'm going to let them fall into French hands, you're wrong. I'd rather die than allow that to happen," I said firmly, releasing his collar and continuing to pick up explosives.
"It's because of Nurse Regina, isn't it?" he pressed, causing me to pause for a moment.
"Shut up, Felix, or you'll face a court-martial," I warned, still searching for more explosives.
"Understood, Hautpamnn," he reluctantly replied.
As I finish gathering the explosives and observe the last of the nurse batches being carried away, I notice Regina sitting in one of the wagons. "Typical Regina, always waiting until the last minute," I mutter under my breath.
Felix follows me to the edge of the hill, and as I begin placing the explosives, he asks, "Where should I put this explosive?"
I point to a spot about two feet from where I'm working. "Right there, Felix. Make sure it's secure."
Just then, the Oberleutnant and his men approach, ready to assist with placing the explosives. "Glad you could join us," I say, acknowledging their presence.
The Oberleutnant nods back. "We're here to ensure this operation goes smoothly. Where do you need us Sir?"
I gesture to a section of the hill. "Help us with these ones along the ridge. We need them positioned strategically."
With swift efficiency, Felix, the Oberleutnant's team, and I work together to place the explosives, ensuring every detail is meticulously attended to.
As we finish placing the explosives and begin to make our escape, the French arrive, and I catch a glimpse of about 67 soldiers on our tail. We pick up the pace, running as fast as we can. Felix turns to me and asks, "How are we going to detonate the explosives?"
I grin at him. "Leave that to me."
Suddenly, explosions erupt behind us, accompanied by the screams of the French soldiers. They're stunned for a moment, giving us a precious opportunity to gain some distance.
"Keep moving!" I shout to the men, urging them forward despite the chaos behind us.
Felix looks at me with a mixture of surprise and admiration. "Well, that certainly took care of them. What's the plan now?"
"We keep running," I reply, scanning the terrain ahead for any signs of danger. "And we don't stop until we're far away from here."