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>>43126130
[2/2]

“We’ve worked together, yes,” she says. “Her Tank Witch Squadron are friends of ours.” You smile. Maybe there’s hope yet! “But right now, you may return to your squadron.”

“You’re not even going to give her the Bordkanone?” asks Daisy.

Bucholz blinks, then stands up. “Well, now that you remind me.” The two Lieutenants immediately freeze, their faces going pale. “Sergeant. Dismissed.” Oh boy. You quickly stand up, salute, then fast walk right out of her office. A few seconds after you leave, you can hear the smacking of bottoms off of what sounds like a very vicious paddle. The two Lieutenants cry and scream at the impacts as you step away. You can even hear them through the walls, ouch.

You sigh. Better them than you, you suppose.

You check your watch. Barely past lunch hour. The squadron should be idle right now. What should you do for today?

> Get drilling, idle hands are the devil’s play thing after all.
> Idle about too. There’s not a lot of space to practice anyway.
> Go to Colonel Hessler’s office, see what’s taking so long about your deployment.
> Other

>>43126146
> Get drilling, idle hands are the devil’s play thing after all.
Work long day and long nights. All for Mother Orussia!

It's quiet on the western front?

>>43126146
>> Get drilling, idle hands are the devil’s play thing after all.

>>43126146
> Get drilling, idle hands are the devil’s play thing after all.

>>43126172
We are Liberions.

>>43126146
> Go to Colonel Hessler’s office, see what’s taking so long about your deployment.

>>43126146
>Get drilling, idle hands are the devil’s play thing after all.
What did Rookie do to get bumped back down?

>>43126336
I'm sure we'll find out!

We lesbians yet?

>>43126555
No, schteel got tired of them and sent them all to camps. Big sign says, "Gerade macht Frei!"

>>43126555
Rookie always munched rugs.

>>43126592
Pfft, i guess not without resistance.

>>43126649
So this is like German's other witch series then?

>>43126717
Well I mean, Rookie's showed up so there's definitely lesbians. As for our MC specifically, not so much.

> Get drilling, idle hands are the devil’s play thing after all.

You’ll have to ask Colonel Hessler about why you haven’t been deployed later. Right now it’s time to get the unit off of their slovenly butts and turn them into a disciplined force. Although the battle last week was a sure example of what you could do, it’s not an example of what you can do right now. You find the unit’s tent right behind one of the old trenches, and pop right in.

“You think you can beat me!?” Greta and Aurelia are locked in a furious arm wrestle. Rascal and Thorn are standing behind them, watching intensely. Greta yells in Aurelia’s face. “Look at you struggle to even move a molecule of my glorious arm you pissy little princess!”

Aurelia’s face has gone purple from sheer exertion, her cheeks are puffed out like pufferfish and her eyes are tearing up from trying to force Greta to move. Everyone looks over at you as you walk up to them. “Hey, Kid. What’s up?” asks Thorn. You gently grab their hands, then force Greta’s hand down, silencing them all.

“We’re going to drill today,” you say. “Let’s do some laps girls. Come on, chop, chop.” Thorn groans, standing up and tossing some money at Rascal. Were they gambling? Hmph, next time you catch them gambling you’ll have some words for them. Last time someone gambled it almost ruined baseball after all! “Greta, Aurelia. Come on.” Rascal walks past you, happily looking down at her hard earned winnings.

The two of them groan in pain and exhaustion. “My hand…” Greta whines as she grips her throbbing hand. You must have slammed it down too hard. “Ow…”

“Come on, don’t be such a baby. Get up.” You grab her by the chinks of her arm and stand her up. You slap her butt, getting her moving out of the tent. “Aurelia, don’t try and arm wrestle Greta again.” She stumbles about, confused and dazed, and nearly walking right into one of the supporting tent columns before stumbling out again. You sigh. All that progress...

But you’re confident!

[1/2]

>>43127129
[2/2]

-

-

You’re no longer confident. The practice of running in formation quickly devolved into a competition to see who could take the front. Everyone except Rascal was just shoving each other out of the way for a spot up front behind you. For what reason, you don’t know, maybe you just had a cute butt, maybe they just wanted to be first, it really doesn’t matter. What matters now is that drilling practice is not going well.

“Guys, stop,” you call. Everyone stops in place, sweating, tired, but not as completely exhausted like a few weeks ago. “Look. We’re not exactly fitting the part of a well-disciplined unit, you know?”

“That’s because we aren’t,” says Thorn.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t be!” you quickly say. “Now come on, Thorn. You’re my second-in-command, you’ve got experience.” You nudge her a bit. “You can help get these girls into shape right?"

Rascal, Greta, and Aurelia look at her expectantly. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Kid?” Thorn quickly pushes you away from the others, meaning for a private conversation. Once the two of you are behind a tent and away from prying ears and eyes, Thorn sighs again. “Look. I’m not exactly the witch I used to be, okay?”

“What do you mean?” You blink. Wait. “… burn out?”

“Burn out,” she mutters. “I mean, I’d love to uh… I’d love to help you whip these girls into shape and be a leader to them just as much as you are but I mean- It’s gotten harder. Okay? These girls aren’t going to respect me if all they see is a clumsy rage monster that can’t even use magic properly! I mean, I used to be in charge of bigger Strikers, but now look at that!” She points down the row of tents to the Strikers, hanging in the open. “I’m in a goddamn LVT!"

You cross your arms. “Respect is earned, not expected,” you say.

“I know, but…” She shrugs, obviously not confident in what she’s saying.

> “Don’t worry. I can do it myself."
> “I need another leader. You’ve got to try.”
> “Maybe there’s another solution.”
> Other

>>43127162
> “Don’t worry. I can do it myself."

>>43127162
>> “I need another leader. You’ve got to try.”
If you don't I WILL find someone else. You wanted a chance at the big time, here it is. You won't be getting another.

>>43127162
> “Maybe there’s another solution.”
There's always another solution!

>>43127162
>“I need another leader. You’ve got to try.”
C'mon Thorn, I believe in you.

>>43127162
>> “I need another leader. You’ve got to try.”
Warn her we might die, they'll all need someone to hold up the squad. No pressure.

>>43127268
That's a lot of pressure anon.

>>43127162
> “I need another leader. You’ve got to try.”

>>43127162
>> “I need another leader. You’ve got to try.”

> “I need another leader. You’ve got to try.”

“You’ve got to try, Thorn. I need another leader in this outfit and you’re it. You’ve got experience, you’ve got poise, you’ve certainly got more guts than most. So what if you’re burning out? The squad’s not made of one guy, it’s made of all five of us.” You gently fistbump her on the arm. “You’ll get their respect in time.”

Thorn grimaces a little, mulling over the thought of it. “Well, I suppose.”

“Enough supposing. Let’s be honest, Thorn. I need to squeeze the last bit of magic you got out of you. That’s what I need to win this war.” You take her wrist and start dragging her back to the unit. “Come on, we gotta get into the fight now.”

“Alright, alright, jeez!” Thorn glares down at you. “Ya fecking little shite.”

You arrive back at your unit. Greta and Aurelia are already making angry eyes at each other, with Rascal lying back and napping. You kick Rascal awake, and she quickly falls into line. “Alright, everyone. Here’s the deal. From now, Thorn will be taking more responsibility as my second-in-command from now on. She’s got plenty of experience, but all she asks is that you learn from them. Okay?”

Greta folds her arms. “Do enlighten us, Corporal Thorn.” Aurelia smirks, chuckling a little.

“You-!” You quickly stop Thorn from unleashing her fury all over Greta. “… Right. The Kid’s right. We’ve got to stop competing with each other. We’re not a big unit. We’ve got to make this work with just us. So, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to run, we’re going to do it neatly, and we’re going to do it without complaint. Got it?”

Aurelia nods, pursing her lips a little. “Oooh, I guess so.”

[1/2]

>>43127816
[2/2]

“Rascal?” Thorn looks over at her, obviously expecting some loyalty from her fellow former pencil pusher. Rascal nods, terrified of what she and you will unleash on her if she says the wrong thing. “Greta.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Greta grumbles a little.

“Good.” Thorn claps her hands together. “Now, let’s get running, all of you! Go, go!” They all immediately try to run, only to collide with a very slow Greta. They all fall all over each other, Rascal ending up ass over end on top of Greta with Aurelia going breastfirst into Rascal. “OH YOU IDIOTS! YOU CAN’T EVEN RUN PROPERLY!” Thorn storms over, yelling in angry gibberish at them.

Oh great.

> Let Thorn handle it. This is her thing now.
> Fix things yourself. All Thorn is gonna do is yell at the problem.

>>43127825
> Let Thorn handle it. This is her thing now.
Let's see how it goes.

>>43127825
> Let Thorn handle it. This is her thing now.

>>43127825
> Fix things yourself. All Thorn is gonna do is yell at the problem.

>>43127825
>Let Thorn handle it. This is her thing now.

>>43127825
>> Let Thorn handle it. This is her thing now.

>>43127825
> Let Thorn handle it. This is her thing now.

>>43127825
>> Let Thorn handle it. This is her thing now.

> Let Thorn handle it. This is her thing now.

“Come on, get up!” yells Thorn. She grabs Aurelia up and pushes her into a run. “Go! Go!” Rascal is next, getting booted in the ass to get her running. “Greta, you are seriously getting on my fecking nerves today, come on!” Thorn grabs Greta by the chinks of her armor and pushes her. “I don’t care about you running fast, I care about you running! Now go! Go!” Thorn runs behind them, yelling all the way. “Come on, come on, run, run! I’m going to turn the lot of you into a force of nature if it shortdicks every regular in the army!” she screams.

You have created a monster. Good.

-

-

Greta, Rascal, and Aurelia are piled all over each by the time the dinner bell is called. They’re covered in sweat, snow, and water. They pant, their bodies barely moving at all in exhaustion. “Alright, good effort,” says Thorn. “You buggers earned a dinner break.” Greta tries to raise her arm, but finds herself unable to do so. Instead, she simply accepts defeat and lies there. You stand next to Thorn. “What do you think?”

“Well. It’s certainly harsh,” you say. “But I think that might be what we need.” You smile a little. “Nice work, Thorn.”

[1/2]

>>43128790
[2/2]

“Thanks, Kid.” She gently punches you on the shoulder. “Glad you gave me that little pep talk. I mean, I’ve heard horror stories of witches burning out, getting too old, the works. It’s not great,” she says. “But, I’m glad you’re here. Always nice to have goon that can make you feel better with just a few words.”

You fold your arms. “I don’t say things lightly you know. You shouldn’t let that burn out get to you. It’ll come to all of us. Some sooner than others.” You shrug a little. Burn out is something all witches fear, because all witches are victims to it. Eventually the use of magic is simply lost entirely. Some old women keep fractions of their former power into their wrinkly days but that’s about it, fractions. You sigh, you don’t want to think about it.

“Well come on,” says Thorn. “How about I treat you to some whiskey then?” Whiskey? She nudges you on the arm, glancing around for any MPs. “I keep a spare bottle hidden away from the Colonel’s prying eyes.”

> “Yeah, let’s not.”
> “Sure, why not.”
> Other

>>43128807
> “Yeah, let’s not.”
Kid a responsible.

>>43128807
>“Sure, why not.”
Just a teeny little bit.

>>43128807
> “Yeah, let’s not.”
I'm already on the Colonel's shitlist

>>43128807
> “Sure, why not.”

>>43128807
>> Other
>You mean whisky?

>>43128807
> “Sure, why not.”

> “Sure, why not.”

You shrug. “Okay, okay, only a couple of drinks though. Just you and me.” You pull her close. “Let’s not try to get drunk, it’s only dinnertime after all.” She nods, understanding at that.

-

-

Okay, the two of you have gotten slightly drunk in your quarters. You don’t know where the hell the rest of your squadron is, maybe having dinner in the mess, maybe cooling off in the showers, whatever. The point is, both you and Thorn are alone in the tent, getting sloshed on whiskey straight from Thorn’s homeland. “Ahaha!” Thorn quickly pours herself another shot, then shotguns it down her throat. “Right, right, you know Kid, I want to know something!”

You lean over, sitting on the cot across from her. “Whazzat, Thorny?”

“Why do you wear that skirt?” she asks. You look down at your miniskirt. Yeah, well, you think it looks nice! Very fashionable, certainly a bit more classy than most trousers today. “I mean, it’s so prudish! Look at that thing!”

“Whaddya talking about ya big palooka!?” You thump your fist onto your chest. “This skirt is the best, I swear to god, I will fight you and choke you to death with it!”

“Whaddya wearing underneath?” Huh? “Come on, show me!” She jumps across the row, trying to peek up your skirt. “Come on! I wanna see!”

“Get off, you pervert!” you yell.

“Come on, come on!” She clasps her hands together, looking up at you pleadingly. “I won’t tell anyone else, swear!” Well…

> No, don’t trust her.
> Fine, she can see, but only this once.
> Other

>>43129640
> Fine, she can see, but only this once.

>>43129640
>> No, don’t trust her.

>>43129640
> No, don’t trust her.
NO TRUST

>>43129640
> Fine, she can see, but only this once.

>>43129640
>Fine, she can see, but only this once.

>>43129640
> Fine, she can see, but only this once.
Nothing could go wrong.

> Fine, she can see, but only this once.

“Alright. Alright, okay.” You lean close to her, gripping the hem of your skirt. “As long as you tell no one, just this once.” She nods quickly, eager to be let in on the secret of your trousers. “Okay, are you ready?” She nods even more quickly. “Okay. Here we go.” You lightly lift up your skirt, revealing yourself to Thorn.

…

Thorn blinks, shocked. “You aren’t-“

“Okay, that’s enough!” You slam down the cloth, covering yourself. “Moving on, pour me another drink!”

“Wait, I want to see it again!” She grabs at your skirt, trying to lift your skirt up.

“Hey, get off!” you yell. “Come on!” The two of you fight each other, you trying to keep yourself decent and other trying not to. You don’t even hear Colonel Hessler step inside. But you do hear her clear her throat, which makes the two of you freeze. You look over at her, squealing, blushing intensely. You’re not drunk anymore, the blood just flushed the alcohol straight to your liver. “… Colonel.”

“I can come back,” she says simply, not looking amused.

“No, no, uh…” You quickly push Thorn off of you. “Wh- what do you need!?”

“Come with me for a second.” You nod, stepping out of the tent with her. Your head is just flurrying with all kinds of emotions. Huge headache, ugh, it feels like someone stabbed you in the head. “Sergeant. I assume you are a little restless lately. I know I said that you would be deployed in the next few days, and yet it has been a complete week since then. So far, my plans have not played out as they should have.”

[1/2]

>>43130542
[2/2]

“Oh?” You scratch at your hair, squinting. “Whaddya mean?”

“There are conflicts with command,” she says. “I’d rather not say. However, I may be able to slot you into an assault in two days, along with Captain Kelly’s unit within two days.”

“Why are you not slotting me in now?”

“Well…” She places her hands on her hips, looking down on you. “As much as I have faith in you, I would like to know if this is something you know you can do.” You’re about to say you can, but she quickly cuts you off. “Keep in mind, this will not be like the hill defense. Nor will it be like the base defense. You are going into Neuroi territory. They will fight like they own the place. Now, this assault can make or break you in the eyes of not just my superiors, but those overseas.” You’re speechless. “I’m not slotting you in if you feel you are not faithful. So are you faithful?”

> I am.
> I am not.
> Other

>>43130542
Kid please.

>>43130561
> I am.

>>43130561
> I am.

>>43130561
> I am.
Gotta fight, for justice!

> “I am.”

“I am, ma’am.” You nod violently. “I assure you, my squadron can do anything you ask of me. We held this hill until you arrived, that should be enough evidence.” She rubs her chin a little, looking down on you. “Just give me another chance and I will prove that we are more than just misfits, ma’am.”

After a few seconds of thought, she nods. “Very well. Tomorrow morning you’ll join the main task force so make sure you pack your bags tonight.” She pats you on the shoulder. “I believe I have made the right decision promoting you, Sergeant. Do not prove me wrong, okay?” You nod again. “Right, ta ta.” She walks away, hands behind her back.

You just agreed to send your witches on an assault mission when you barely held against Neuroi attacking you on your terms. Well, you’ve done worse. Thorn pokes her head out of the tent. “IS she gone?” she asks. You nod. “I heard something about an assault.” She steps out, looking mighty confused.

“That’s right,” you say. “We are going to help spearhead an assault into Neuroi territory.” You grin happily, punching her lightly. “Isn’t that great?”

“Um.” Thorn folds her arm. “I guess.”

“You’re not happy.” Why is she not happy? You’re getting to go into combat again!

“Kid, your tactical sense is good and we do have our strengths, but we aren’t playing to them just yet,” she says. “We’ve still got a long ways away before we can become a cohesive unit. Are you really sure about this?”

“Most definitely,” you say. You smile warmly, looking up at Thorn. “Trust me, Thorn. We have an amazing opportunity here. We could be heroes back home! We just need to do this and we’re in the hole!” Thorn still looks skeptical. “Come on, be happy!”

Thorn shrugs. “I’m still on the fence.”

> “It’s not about us, it’s you isn’t it.”
> “Well I’ll push you over the fence and smack you on the ass until you’re happy.”
> “Fine, I’ll respect that.”
> Other

>>43131385
> “Fine, I’ll respect that.”

>>43131385
> “Fine, I’ll respect that.”

>>43131385
>“Fine, I’ll respect that.”

>>43131385
> “Well I’ll push you over the fence and smack you on the ass until you’re happy.”
Must vote for the spanking option.

>>43131385
>“Fine, I’ll respect that.”

>>43131385
> “It’s not about us, it’s you isn’t it.”

>>43131385
>“It’s not about us, it’s you isn’t it.”

Talk to us Thorny. And with words, not drunken hands.

>>43131967
Well, I'm okay with both...

> “Fine, I’ll respect that.”

You hold up your hands. “Fine, I’ll respect that.” You narrow your eyes a bit. “But listen, Thorn. Since you’re going to be taking a more active role as my XO of sorts, you and me are gonna need to communicate better. That means you need to talk to me about things, okay?”

She nods. “Alright.” She looks down at you, sharing the same expression as you. “Well, we better get packing then.” You nod at that. That’s some good initiative, Thorn. First things you need to pack are some spare rations. And at the thought of rations, your stomach growls loudly. “… but first some dinner then.” She places your hand on your back and guides you into the tent. “Come on, let’s break out the rations.”

-

-

“Really?” Greta stands up out of her cot, grinning. “Excellent!” She throws her hands up, her armor shaking a bit. “Finally, we get to be tip of the spear!”

“Now, hold on,” you say. “I didn’t say that. I said we would be part of it. If we were tip of the spear in our condition we’d get shelled.” Everyone returned to the tent in good time after a nice rest, a shower, and a hot meal. You were filling them in on the situation regarding tomorrow’s movement and potential assault. “Now, let’s not get full of ourselves, we may have won that day but we still need to keep winning. Alright?”

“Say no more,” says Aurelia. “With me aboard, you may as well start going home.”

[1/2]

>>43132358
[2/2]

“Yeah, in coffins,” says Greta. Aurelia punches her in the back, glaring at her. “Ow!” Greta looks back at her.

“Hey, hey, no fighting!” yells Thorn. “We are going to fight, and we are going to win! You little fecking shites are going to make the Kid proud, is that clear?” The three of them nod, in agreement. “Good, good! Now, start packing your bags. Only things you need, alright?” They all quickly get to their footlockers, dumping out things into their backpacks, mostly the valuable supply stuff like ammo, grenades, rations, the works. You do the same, may as well.

“Hey, Kid.” Greta squints at you. “I noticed you don’t seem to pack spare trousers.” … uh oh. “Are you out, do you want to borrow my lucky ones?” She waves a pair of white ones with a little bow on the front. “Come on, they are cute as can be!”

> “Fine, give it here.”
> “No, no, I’m good.”
> Other

>>43132374
> Other
Shouldn't you keep your lucky pair? It's lucky!

>>43132374
>“No, no, I’m good.”
Kid is secretly a commando.

>>43132374
> “No, no, I’m good.”

>>43132374
> “No, no, I’m good.”
No sharing underwear!

>>43132374
> “No, no, I’m good.”
I'm already lucky Greta, keem em.

>>43132374
> “Fine, give it here.”

> “No, no, I’m good.”

“No, I’m good, Greta.” You wave her off. She frowns a little, then stuffs the billowing trousers into her backpack. You sigh in relief. You wouldn’t be able to explain why you put the trousers on immediately. Once everything is packed, you place it on top of your footlocker, then smack it a few times to be sure that it is all there. “Alright. Let’s all head to sleep, we’ll try to get some early rest. Early to bed, early to rise after all.”

Rascal looks at her watch. “But it’s only 8 O’Clock.”

“Perfect time to get to bed then!” shouts Thorn. “Tuck yourself in! Come on!” Rascal frightfully dives underneath her blankets. “Good night, Rascal. Aurelia, Greta, you two too. Come on, get underneath your sheets.”

Aurelia sighs. “I need my beauty sleep anyway.” She slips underneath the sheets. “Good night, looking forward to the outing.”

“Aw come on!” says Greta. “I’m not even tired!”

You clap your hands, making her flinch a little. “You will be if you don’t go to bed.” Greta stares at you, then quietly returns to her bed and under the covers. “Good, good.” You look over at Thorn. “Right, Thorn.” She quickly puffs out the candlelight, engulfing the tent in darkness. “Alright everybody, lights out.” You curl your legs up, smiling. “And Thorn. Good work today.”

She gives a thumbs up to you, sitting down on her bed and throwing off her socks. “Good work to you too, Kid.”

You think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

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85 KB JPG

>>43133189
That's it for tonight. Thanks for playing Tank Witches, and sorry for the sorry because I was busy slightly with postseason baseball. However, I will be back tomorrow with something different, something new, It's probably going to be Star Wars but I'll let you know for sure tomorrow.

Follow at: https://twitter.com/GermanSchteel
Ask at: http://germanschteel.tumblr.com/

See you next time.

>>43133226
Thanks for running, boss.

>>43133226
Thanks for running!

>>43133226
Thanks for the thread!

>>43133226
Thanks for the fun. Sorry I missed most of it.

Tomorrow should be awesome if its Star Wars