Chapter 5: Ready Up

[The first true mission to prove the Crush Squad’s usefulness.]

Hazkura had been laughing heartily since the group had exited the tower (and even stifling giggles during the rest of the meeting). “’Crush Squad’, you call it!” She howled and bellowed a little too hard for a name that Vincent thought would fit.

As he had explained when the King and Simon gave him a look of confusion, he chose that name because he was confident that their unit would absolutely crush any mission given to them. There was some laughter from the audience, as well as a soft, short laugh from Warbelle, but none seemed as entertained by it as Hazkura.

Rinkyu and Simon, as well as the two other leaders, did not laugh (as expected, Vincent thought), but both Simon and the King thought that it was a well-thought name, even if it was, as he had said, a little improper.

“We will ‘crush’ all missions!” Hazkura ceaselessly mocked the name as they walked.

“It’s not that funny,” Vincent said in a low voice. “I didn’t see any of you coming up with a better name.” He sighed heavily. “If you’re so against it, I can petition a new name before we’re active.”

“Absolute no!” Hazkura shouted between breaths. “Crush Squad is the best!” Again, she began laughing uncontrollably.

“In any case,” Simon interrupted, “we have our first real goals for the unit set and planned out.” “Tomorrow, we’ll focus on those goals in earnest and prepare for our first sponsored mission.”

Vincent didn’t know when the best time to bring it up was, but he decided it was better to ask now while the meeting was fresh in their minds.

“Why did you look so unhappy when the King presented his deal? Overall, it seemed better for our end than we were planning.”

Simon’s walk slowed, though he did not stop. Rinkyu slowed in response – she had obviously caught Simon’s face in that moment as well (though, it wasn’t like he was really hiding it).

“Honestly, I was hoping to have at least one more unit to start training, so once we were done training, we could easily start helping the city.”

Simon’s back remained toward the group, though Vincent could easily tell his face was probably like the one he made at that moment in the meeting. “With one unit, we can still make somewhat of a difference, but it also means we have less openings for those looking for work, and with that, less manpower overall.”

“Given our inexperience going into this meeting, it’s honestly surprising the King was so generous with his offer,” Vincent argued. “We have a young girl who has shown remarkable skill with no formal education, a powerhouse that has been wandering the deserts for three years, and a former insurgent who just got handed the leadership position. Considering that, and that we just got four of our preferred six members two days ago, I would call it blind luck that he approved us, especially considering the other two leaders said ‘no’.”

Simon turned to face Vincent. They both knew he wasn’t wrong; it was nothing short of a miracle that they were approved. While Vincent didn’t fully understand the system of Saruja’s government, he understood now that the King’s word was final, and although he took into consideration the thoughts of his other seats, he alone would be the “yes” or “no” that decided everything. Had this been a board of leaders with everyone holding equal power, Simon’s vision would be outright shattered. At least in this case, the group had a chance to prove themselves.

“You’re right,” Simon said bitterly. “I know you’re right, but… it’s just a little frustrating.” His face tightened, though his sternness was lacking any power. Simon simply looked worn-out, almost defeated.

A cab was waiting for them nearby, with a familiar face standing outside. “I apologize for not making the meeting, Simon and company!” Regnah called out to the group. “I had to finish up a rather pressing issue, but I assume all went well?”

The group each wore a face of exhaustion (though Hazkura seemed more worn out from the laughing than the meeting), but Simon reported that they had been approved, and told him that he would go over it in detail on the ride back.

“It is a shame you did not get all you were asking for,” Regnah said as the cab arrived at the house. “But you should always consider the positives as well as the negatives. You may not have gotten the full unit mass you wanted, and it may be a bit of a wait before more can be created. But it was approved, and you were granted more freedom than you asked for. His company may not see the merits yet, but the King apparently does, and is investing in your futures. You should be proud you got this far with minimal outside help.”

Regnah’s feelings about the meeting echoed those of Vincent’s, though Regnah probably phrased it a little more tactfully.

They all exited the cab (excluding Regnah, who scooted to the seat nearest the open doors), and started to go in, though Vincent stayed behind as Regnah tugged his arm.

“I trust that you have a handle on things from here, but please remember that I am hosting your team,” he urged. “If you need any help, I am willing to offer it. I may be busy from time to time, but that is exactly why I have research assistants – to take up the slack when I have other duties to attend to.”

He smiled, and patted Vincent’s shoulder. “I know you all will do amazing things.”

Vincent wasn’t sure how to react, but as he tried, Regnah pulled himself back into the cab and closed the door. The cab peeled onto the road, off to its next destination. Vincent had always found himself reluctant to accept help from anyone besides Vesic, and even that was only because Vesic was Vincent’s boss for a time. It was, however, something he noted in the back of his mind: he would need to learn how to do so before the six-month grace period was up, as a leader with only one notable victory.

Vincent entered the unit and started to prepare for a late group lunch.

---

The night passed uneventfully, save Vincent wandering to the balcony to smoke for a while. The mood was odd with the squad, and he couldn’t help but feel at least partially responsible. Simon’s mood had seemed to improve over the lunch as they talked about the next steps, but as soon as a stopping point was reached, he had excused himself and exited to his room. Already, Vincent thought, he was losing Simon’s spark – the intention and hopefulness that he had shown when he was presenting the project to Vincent. There was an immediate need to bring back Simon’s focus to the present, before he burned out and gave up on the squad before it even began.

Vincent sighed. “Is this what Vesic had to deal with when he led us?” It was both impressive and stressful to think of all the little details that held a unit together, especially in the middle of an insurgence – Vincent had much less to worry about, but was still barely keeping everything straight.

He put out his cigarette, and retired to his room, where he began formulating an actual plan of attack for the next few months. He would need to schedule things according to the King’s timeframe, but would also have to account for each member’s weak points, and set it up so no one burned out before they started their duties. For Vincent, the hardest part would be Simon and himself – he already had a basic understanding of Hazkura’s and Rinkyu’s abilities and personalities, but self-inspection was something he wasn’t good at, and Simon was adept at avoiding talking about his own abilities.

~19^th day of Rhuvu, Year 1403~

Morning came sooner than Vincent had wished, getting barely two hours of sleep before he heard footsteps in the hallway. Against his desire to sleep more, he begrudgingly sat up in his bed for a few minutes before heading into the bathroom to wash up, his notebook attached to his hip on a strap. Rinkyu, along with Simon, were present in the bathroom, though Hazkura’s snoring could be heard from down the hallway. Each person lazily waved a hand in tired greeting – Simon looked as exhausted as Vincent felt, and Rinkyu wasn’t looking much better.

“Long night?” Simon asked with a hint of coltishness. He seemed to have found some of his emotional energy overnight.

“You could say that,” Vincent responded with a weak smile. “I was trying to figure out the quickest and most practical ways to improve our unit’s skills.” He patted his notebook as he grabbed his toothbrush with his other hand.

“Did you discover anything?”

“Only that I don’t know enough about our unit to build a good plan. I would like to sit down with all of you and discuss as much as we can. I think if we talk as a group, we may be able to point out flaws or inabilities we don’t notice individually.”

Simon spat into the sink and returned his brush to the holder, almost in sync with Rinkyu. “I think that’s a brilliant idea! I’m sorry that I didn’t think of it first!”

He had regained some spark, though it was hard to tell if it was a façade or real. Either way, Vincent was glad someone was onboard. He looked at Rinkyu, who was almost done brushing her hair, and who nodded with approval. The only remaining member was Hazkura, but she didn’t seem opposed to sharing about herself.

Once they (Simon and Rinkyu) had started making breakfast, Vincent heard Hazkura’s heavy footsteps going to the bathroom – just based on that, he could tell she was unusually energetic after just waking up. By the time they plated everything, Hazkura had made her way down the staircase, a big smile present on her face.

“Good morning, Crush Squad!” she said loudly, somehow to no one in particular. Although the group was more awake now, not one of the three could match her fire, though Simon tried.

“Good morning, Hazkura! I trust you slept well?” He feigned the biggest smile he could muster, though even if he had been fully awake, it couldn’t outdo Hazkura’s.

“Yes, the bed was good! Deep sleep like home!”

“I thought you didn’t like the name ‘Crush Squad’?” Vincent said, with a barely mocking tone.

“No, the name is strange, but good!” Hazkura pumped her arm. “It’s a strong name, like us!”

Simon nodded. “I agree. It’s a powerful name, one that could be recorded in history.”

Vincent was starting to feel embarrassed again. “Let’s eat already. We have some stuff to discuss after breakfast.”

---

As promised, as soon as they had finished breakfast, Vincent sat straight in his chair with a sense of authority. “Regarding the training schedule, as well as the future plans for the Crush Squad, I would like to address a few things, clarification mostly.

“I need to know as much about you guys as possible, both from your own perspectives and from the group’s. I will also share, so please do the same for me if you can. After that, we’ll clarify our training times, what we’ll cover each session, and what we can do to improve in our downtime.”

Everyone nodded, with Simon showing a look of impressed joy.

“I’ll start,” Vincent announced. “My name is Vincent Laverse, and I’m a former mercenary. I am skilled mainly with swords and handguns, but I can also use some fire magic and other melee weapons. I tend to get tunnel vision when I’m fighting one-on-one, and I’m not used to fighting big groups alone. In addition, I have minimal practice with diplomatic settings, so I may need extra time to learn that stuff. I may be the leader of the group, but I lack experience leading an actual squadron outside of one instance, so I will be trying to improve my skills in that field as well.”

It was a mouthful, but he felt everything said was necessary. Being open about his skills and flaws was the first step in trust, he had decided. Simon started a small applause, added to by Rinkyu and then Hazkura. It was a little condescending to Vincent, but it wasn’t unwelcome.

“I think I’ll go next,” Simon insisted. “My name is Simon Listrean, and I am a teacher and scientist formerly employed by the Saruja College. I have experience using rifles and handguns, but I am lousy at physical combat. I also have no innate Essence ability, so I can’t use magic in the normal sense. I like to analyze situations to determine the best outcome, though I can overanalyze sometimes, so please call me out if I do that. I have a formal education for everything from biology to Essence Theory, and I do know quite a bit about political issues and diplomacy, so I can help anyone who wants to learn about it. I intend to help think of ways to improve and balance the unit, but if you have ideas, please let me know.”

Vincent wasn’t aware of Simon’s Essence issue – it was rare for anyone, especially a Hjina, to be unable to use Essence, though Simon had remarked specifically “in the normal sense,” so maybe he had a different way of using it.

Rinkyu raised her hand. “You also have a tendency to break down easily, so you may need some help controlling your emotions.”

It was blunt, if not true – they had all seen it yesterday, and Vincent had seen it once or twice besides that. “Tough, but true,” Simon said with a feigned wince. “Next up?”

Hazkura thrust her hand into the air. “I am Kozari Hazkura! I am fighter from Czeathe, and am strong!” She hesitated for a moment before continuing: “I am not good with magic or tak-tiks placing, but I am stronger than anything that attacks us. Also know Ovure-Irian and Nu-Irian, and Nest!”

Everyone was a little surprised at Hazkura’s linguistics skills, considering her trouble speaking Inglish. Nu-Irian could be learned with some amount of effort, but both Ovure-Irian and Nest were languages specific to their respective countries (namely Ovura and Nesetta) – they would have to be taught in a controlled region or by a missionary. It was both concerning and impressive, though nobody dared question her language history, despite their curiosity.

“I would also like to point out your incessant hunger for fighting,” Simon jabbed. “You have an aggressive want for challenges, which could be detrimental when fighting with enemies in wait, such as with goateaters. It may behoove you to temper your aggression.”

As he finished speaking, he realized that many of the words he used weren’t understood by Hazkura – her face was one of studious confusion. He cleared his throat and clarified: “Basically, think before you pick a fight. There may be more hiding that you don’t see immediately.” To this, she smiled and nodded in understanding.  Vincent remarked internally that he’d only seen Kozari fight once, giving him the impression that Simon had seen her fight at least once before that.

Finally, they all turned to face Rinkyu, much to her chagrin, as Vincent would’ve guessed. She looked uncomfortable being put on the spot, which was no surprise, though Vincent still felt bad doing it despite this being his idea.

“I’m… Rinkyu Asakura…” she said hesitantly. “I was trained in the Saruja Poison Corps… for about nineteen months… and schooled in Baael and magic by Regnah and Simon… for about a year…”

Her introduction was much more reserved than anyone else’s, though she continued despite her uncertainty.

“I know most Sarujan squad tactics, and can manipulate Azras and Wind-element Essence… And I can do some other magic-type things… Also, I know political etiquette…”

She got farther than I was expecting, Vincent thought to himself. For a moment, he was worried his thoughts had reached his lips, because she glanced at him with a difficult-to-discern face. But, he soon realized it was a look seeking confirmation – had she said enough to please him, or was there more?

Vincent focused his thoughts and responded with words: “I think you have the most varied skills of our group, Rinkyu, but I think you need to be more direct and vocal about your opinions and speak with more authority. People in political positions won’t listen to you unless you speak on their level.”

She nodded gently in response, though he wasn’t sure if that was just to shut him up.

“Next, I need to understand the training schedule we have set up.” He faced Simon. “What is our projection for the next few weeks?”

Simon pulled out his phone and swiped through a few pages. “Well, we’ve set aside Thursdays and Sunsdays for training,” he stated, “but we’ll be missing today’s projected training to mirror the King’s suggested schedule.”

He swiped a couple more times through his calendar, and added, “We may also have to adjust our days to fit his expected readiness date, especially since we’ll be adding in political training. I suggest a static schedule: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for joint physical training, and Monsday and Wedsday for scholastics.”

He tapped a few times on the screen as he said this, probably adjusting his calendar schedule. “That gives us Fridays and Sunsdays for relaxation, meetings, repairs, and review. We’ll also schedule an hour or so for Hazkura’s languages training in Monsday and Wedsday.” He faced Hazkura as he said this, while she nodded in response.

He looked at Rinkyu. “Your sessions with Regnah will have to start including the political stuff on Wedsday. It’ll be busy, but are you going to be able to handle that?”

Rinkyu nodded, then hesitantly added, “Regnah’s almost done calibrating my tools, so I’ll be able to join you guys in about two weeks.”

“What does she do with Regnah, by the way?” Vincent asked. He had heard scattered chatter about Rinkyu’s extra work a couple of times now, but he hadn’t bothered to ask what specifically it was. He was sure it had something to do with the unit, in any case.

Simon pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “She’s actually been testing some of the prototype tools that Regnah has designed already, in addition to the Poison Squad work she regularly does.”

Vincent glanced at Rinkyu. “You already have some of his equipment?”

Rinkyu nodded, and pointed with one finger to her neck, which held a subtle choker with a spidering black-and-white gem on the center. “One of my techniques strains my throat muscles, so this choker helps mitigate the damage to it when I use it.” Her finger then shifted towards the entryway – more specifically, to her boots, which Vincent had noted when he first entered this unit. “Another can damage my leg muscles and bones, so he made those boots to help with that too.”

He hadn’t noticed it before, but like the choker, the boots (or at least, the one facing into the unit) had a similarly colored and shaped gem on the tongue near the laces and had a strap that weaved around the neck of the boot. The other boot seemed to have the same strap, so it was simple to deduce that it also probably had a gem.

“I need to have them calibrated based on how often I use them, and personal preference. He said that if either become uncomfortable or don’t ‘feel right’, I should let him know.” She placed her arm between her legs with the other in her normal sitting position. “It feels like it’s gotten better, so I may only need calibrations every other month soon.”

“It’s good to know that we already have some tech from him,” Vincent remarked. “It gives us a basis to work off.” Simon nodded and added: “He’s already in the preliminary stages of designing tools for you and Hazkura, and he helped me design my Essence Rifle as well. When we embark on our first mission, we should be ready for anything.”

“Back to business,” Vincent continued, “I think two days of rest should be fine for now, since we have so much to do in such a short timeframe. I expect the joint training won’t be permanent, so we may have to readjust our schedule when that happens, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

He flipped through his journal to yesterday night’s notes; there was one more thing he wanted to bring up. “The last thing I wanted to address was the future of our group – what we need and want to accomplish in the next six months, the next year, and so on. It’s great that we’ve been approved, but we need to set goals for ourselves, both individually and collectively, to prevent us from falling into bad habits.” He paused, and added after a moment of thought, “And to stay on track according to the King’s wishes.”

He looked around to find everyone with a face of deep thought. “I would like to discuss this at a more reasonable pace, so it’s okay if we don’t have concrete ideas right now. It’s just something I wanted to put on your minds.” He closed his journal and asked, “Is there anything that anyone would like to bring up? Questions, comments, concerns?”

Unexpectedly, Rinkyu slowly raised her hand. Vincent was interested in what she wanted to add to the conversation, especially since she had been quiet and reserved since he got here.

“I would like to suggest something that may help us build our relations with each other.”

It was clear to Vincent that she was struggling to be in the spotlight, but he said nothing about it. “Please, go ahead.”

She rubbed the back of her head for a moment before completing her thought. “I’ve heard from Regnah’s assistants that nicknames are an easy way to get used to new friends and colleagues. Maybe going that route would help us open up to each other more…?”

That… was not something Vincent expected to hear, especially from Rinkyu. He was already aware that he had less-than-average social skills, so he had no real ideas to go about teambuilding. But he had faith in Regnah, and at some point soon, he knew he would have to put his faith in the rest of his team – and Rinkyu was already offering the opportunity to start.

“Well… the mercenaries that I worked with in and around Aheya shortened my name to Vince. I don’t know about actual nicknames, but I don’t mind you guys shortening my name.”

Simon scratched his head. “I always went by ‘Glasses’ or ‘Bookend’ in my school days, though I didn’t particularly like those names.” He re-tied his hair into a low ponytail as he talked – using his hands to fiddle with things seemed to be his nervous response. “Honestly, ‘Simon’ is a pretty short name anyway, so just that is fine.” He hesitated after seeing Rinkyu visibly deflate a bit, then added with a gentle smile, “I guess ‘Sai’ is okay.”

Hazkura was waiting patiently for her turn to speak, so Vincent turned his focus to her. “What about you, Hazkura?”

“Kozari!” she said loudly. “Everyone here calls me by ‘Hazkura’, but my name is Kozari! Please call me that! Or even Zari!”

Although she said it as if she was offended, there was obvious playfulness in her face and voice. She must have wanted to bring this up earlier, but either forgot or didn’t get the chance. The group gave a collective apology to her, and her pseudo-pouting became her normal face of pep and joy.

Vincent turned again to Rinkyu. “Well, you still haven’t mentioned what you want your nickname to be, Rinkyu. Did you have one in mind?”

“Rinny…” She spoke so quietly that Vincent almost missed it, though she repeated it again a little louder. “Rinny… is what my friends used to call me.” She paused, and quickly added, “It’s not important, Rin is also fine.”

Simon waved his hand as she backtracked. “No, no, Rinny is a perfectly acceptable nickname!” He smiled kindly. “I’m excited to see what the Crush Squad will accomplish with our newfound bonds!” Kozari started an applause, added to by the rest of the team. He almost missed it, but Vincent caught the tail-end of a quick half-smile from Rinkyu.

The group wrapped up their meeting, with newfound excitement brewing in each of them as they began getting ready for the next part of their day. With a given grace period of three days (they were to start their new schedule on the following Monsday), they set about readying themselves mentally and physically for their new training schedule.

~21^st day of Rhuvu, Year 1403~

Though the following day had passed relatively quietly (Simon and Rinkyu went to visit Regnah for some issues regarding their equipment, so Vincent and Kozari decided to familiarize themselves with this section of the town), the day after began with a surprise.

Vincent woke abruptly to the sound of a siren wailing outside the window – he wasn’t unfamiliar with the sound of a raid siren, though he was more used to it happening in encampments rather than fortified cities. He quickly dressed himself, his short sword and gun in tow, and exited his room, meeting the other members of his squad.

“Is this an enemy assault?” Vincent asked as they rushed down the staircase. He was told that a siren was used for many things here, though this was his first time hearing it since he’d arrived.

“Not quite,” Simon responded. His face was more serious than Vincent had ever seen, even in the meeting with the King. “This is the siren that the barrier is down.”

As the group left the building, Vincent immediately noticed the differences caused by the barrier’s presence. The air was no longer covered in a rainbow effect – the desert sky was clear but dark, and held a reddish-brown tinge to it. There was no longer a taste of sweetness and cleanliness; it was replaced with the common taste of dust, sand, and what Vincent could only describe as “fear.”  It was the taste of a concept he had once before experienced in the SSM takedown, just as they’d entered Cestalian’s tower.  Around them, though their building was rather deep into this district, there were soldiers, guards, and adventurers mobilizing towards the western part of the city, all prepared for combat. Those without weapons and armor were evacuating deeper into the city, towards the King’s tower.

Vincent looked towards the old tower; Simon had told him after their interviews that it was the one that housed the city’s barrier glyphs. Sure enough, there was barely any Essence being released from that area, though at this distance, he couldn’t be sure.

“We’re heading towards the West Gate!” Simon called to the group. “Ready your weapons and prepare to fight!”

Vincent followed Simon’s lead, running towards the West Gate. Rinkyu, surprisingly, was much quicker than the rest, and left them behind after only a minute. Kozari, unsurprisingly, was faster than Vincent, and Simon trailed behind everyone despite his gusto.

It took about twenty minutes to arrive, where Vincent understood how dangerous the barrier’s weakness was. He had heard stories of Saruja’s Baael attacks – that they were the largest Baael attacks in Kiria, and that the destruction they could cause was mitigated only by the barrier and the dedicated warriors within its walls.

This was worse than stories could have been told.

A wall of dark energy pulsed against the wall and gate like a living wave of blacks, reds, and purples, only recognizable as a distinct creature once a being inside moved within it. Once that happened, it was clear that the black wall was an indescribable mass of hundreds, if not thousands, of individual Baael – each one trying angrily to get inside, and all barely pushed back by the pathetically small wall of warriors trying to resist them. Every few seconds, a large claw or scythe would bleed out of the Baael wall, trying to take out one of the soldiers, and occasionally, succeeding. The warriors defending would have to turn away to avoid the splatter of blood that followed and resist the urge to reach out to their fallen comrades.

“This is the Baael problem of Saruja,” Simon said darkly, catching up to the rest of his team. “Our job during these assaults is to take out the Prime Baael in each of the attacking nests or hold out until the barrier is restored.” He shifted the bolt hammer in his rifle’s barrel, readying a bullet. “It’s not going to be easy, but if we can take out the Prime Baael, they’ll be easier to disperse.”

He handed Vincent and Kozari two small earpieces each. “We’ll communicate with these. Rinkyu already has one, and if you happen to run into her area of effect, it’ll mitigate the effect.” He hoisted the rifle up on his shoulder and pointed to a nearby watchtower just inside the walls. “I’ll be firing from these towers, so just keep me informed if you find the Prime.”

He started running towards the tower, and added, shouting, “Time for you to lead us to victory, Leader! Let’s crush this mission!”